Only love can_defeat_terrorism_1st_vrs

A B O U T T H E A U T H O R

The author, who writes under the pen-name Harun

Yahya, was born in Ankara in 1956. He studied arts at

Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University, and philosophy at Is-

tanbul University. Since the 1980s, the author has pub-

lished many books on political, faith-related and

scientific issues. Greatly appreciated all around the

world, these works have been instrumental in helping

many to return their faith in Allah, and, in many others, to gain a deeper in-

sight into their faith. Harun Yahya's books appeal to all kinds of readers, re-

gardless of their age, race, or nationality, for they focus on one objective: to

broaden the reader’s perspective by encouraging him or her to think about a

number of critical issues, such as the existence of Allah and His unity, and to

live by the values He prescribed for them.

In 2001, jet planes were crashed into the World Trade Center and thePentagon, injuring and killing thousands. In the days following these at-tacks, the world began debating the concept of terrorism that lay behindthem. An atmosphere of fear and panic grew, especially in the UnitedStates. But that didn't last long: Soon the entire world began wonderinghow best to combat terrorism.

As soon as America recovered from the shock of 9/11, it joined with alarge number of other countries to launch a worldwide war on terror-ism.Right from the start, however, officials of this powerful coalition de-clared openly that it wouldn't be enough for them to fight on the militaryfield alone. How should the struggle against terrorism be pursued?

This book concentrates on the only way it can be eradicated: by meansof peace, tolerance, and love. This book offers examples from the Qur'anas well as from the Bible to show how each of the three divine religionsforbids the use of unjust violence. It also gives examples to show that theonly way to fight terrorism is to heal the root causes through the love, af-fection, compassion, humility, forgiveness, tolerance and concepts of jus-tice that religion's morality instils in people--whom, following the versefrom the Qur'an (10:25): "God calls to the Abode of Peace... " Such fortu-nates will do their utmost to build a world full of peace and love.

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

TO THE READER

● The reason why a special chapter is assigned to

the collapse of the theory of evolution is that this theory con-

stitutes the basis of all anti-spiritual philosophies. Since Darwinism rejects the

fact of creation, and therefore the existence of God, during the last 140 years it has

caused many people to abandon their faith or fall into doubt. Therefore, showing that

this theory is a deception is a very important duty, which is strongly related to the reli-

gion. It is imperative that this important service be rendered to everyone. Some of our

readers may find the chance to read only one of our books. Therefore, we think it ap-

propriate to spare a chapter for a summary of this subject.

● In all the books by the author, faith-related issues are explained in the light of

Qur'anic verses, and people are invited to learn God's words and to live by them. All

the subjects that concern God's verses are explained in such a way as to leave no

room for doubt or question marks in the reader's mind. The sincere, plain and fluent

style employed ensures that everyone of every age and from every social group can

easily understand the books. This effective and lucid narrative makes it possible to

read them in a single sitting. Even those who rigorously reject spirituality are influ-

enced by the facts recounted in these books and cannot refute the truthfulness of their

contents.

● This book and all the other works by Harun Yahya can be read individually or dis-

cussed in a group. Those readers who are willing to profit from the books will find dis-

cussion very useful in that they will be able to relate their own reflections and

experiences to one another.

● In addition, it is a great service to the religion to contribute to the presentation and

circulation of these books, which are written solely for the good pleasure of God. All

the books of the author are extremely convincing, so, for those who want to commu-

nicate the religion to other people, one of the most effective methods is to encourage

them to read these books. It is hoped that the reader will take time to look through the

review of other books on the final pages of the book, and appreciate the rich source of

material on faith-related issues, which are very useful and a pleasure to read.

● In them, one will not find, as in some other books, the personal views of the

author, explanations based on dubious sources, styles unobservant of the

respect and reverence due to sacred subjects, or

hopeless, doubt-creating, and pessimistic ac-

counts that create deviations in the heart.

OONNLLYY LLOOVVEE

CCAANN DDEEFFEEAATT

TTEERRRROORRIISSMM

HHaarruunn YYaahhyyaaMay 2003

AABBOOUUTT TTHHEE AAUUTTHHOORR

The author, who writes under the pen-name HARUN YAHYA, was bornin Ankara in 1956. Having completed his primary and secondary education inAnkara, he then studied arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University and philos-ophy at Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, the author has published manybooks on political, faith-related and scientific issues. Harun Yahya is well-known as an author who has written very important works disclosing the im-posture of evolutionists, the invalidity of their claims and the dark liaisonsbetween Darwinism and bloody ideologies such as fascism and communism.

His pen-name is made up of the names "Harun" (Aaron) and "Yahya"(John), in memory of the two esteemed prophets who fought against lack offaith. The Prophet's seal, may God bless him and grant him peace, on the coverof the books is symbolic and is linked to the their contents. It represents theQur'an (the final scripture) and the Prophet Mohammed, may God bless himand grant him peace, the last of the prophets. Under the guidance of the Qur'anand sunnah, the author makes it his purpose to disprove each one of the fun-damental tenets of godless ideologies and to have the "last word", so as to com-pletely silence the objections raised against religion. The seal of the finalProphet, who attained ultimate wisdom and moral perfection, is used as a signof his intention of saying this last word.

All author' s works center around one goal: to convey the Qur' an' s mes-sage to people, encourage them to think about basic faith-related issues (suchas the existence of God, His unity and the hereafter), and to expose the feeblefoundations and perverted ideologies of godless systems.

Harun Yahya enjoys a wide readership in many countries, from India toAmerica, England to Indonesia, Poland to Bosnia, and Spain to Brazil. Some ofhis books are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian,Portuguese, Urdu, Arabic, Albanian, Russian, Serbo-Croat (Bosnian), Polish,Malay, Uygur Turkish, and Indonesian, and they are enjoyed by readers world-wide.

Greatly appreciated all around the world, these works have been instru-mental in many people recovering their faith in God and in many others gain-ing a deeper insight into their faith. The wisdom, and the sincere andeasy-to-understand style gives these books a distinct touch which directly ef-

fects any one who reads or studies them. Immune to objections, theseworks are characterized by their features of rapid effectiveness,definite results and irrefutability. It is unlikely that those who

read these books and give serious thought to them can any longer sin-cerely advocate the materialistic philosophy, atheism or any other per-verted ideology or philosophy. Even if they continue to do so, it will beonly a sentimental insistence since these books refuted such ideologiesfrom their very foundations. All contemporary movements of denial arenow ideologically defeated, thanks to the collection of books written byHarun Yahya.

There is no doubt that these features result from the wisdom and lu-cidity of the Qur'an. The author modestly intends to serve as a means inhumanity's search for God's right path. No material gain is sought in thepublication of these works.

Considering these facts, those who encourage people to read thesebooks, which open the "eyes" of the heart and guide them to become moredevoted servants of God, render an invaluable service.

Meanwhile, it would just be a waste of time and energy to propagateother books which create confusion in peoples' minds, lead man into ideo-logical chaos, and which, clearly have no strong and precise effects in re-moving the doubts in peoples' hearts, as also verified from previousexperience. It is apparent that it is impossible for books devised to empha-size the author's literary power rather than the noble goal of saving peoplefrom loss of faith, to have such a great effect. Those who doubt this canreadily see that the sole aim of Harun Yahya's books is to overcome disbe-lief and to disseminate the moral values of the Qur'an. The success and im-pact of this service are manifest in readers' conviction.

One point should be kept in mind: The main reason for the continu-ing cruelty, conflict, and all the ordeals the majority of people undergo isthe ideological prevalence of disbelief. This state can only be ended withthe ideological defeat of disbelief and by conveying the wonders of cre-ation and Qur'anic morality so that people can live by it. Considering thestate of the world today, which leads people into the downward spiral ofviolence, corruption and conflict, it is clear that this service has to be pro-vided more speedily and effectively. Otherwise, it may be too late.

It is no exaggeration to say that the collection of books by Harun Yahyahave assumed this leading role. By the will of God, these books willbe a means through which people in the 21st century will attainthe peace, justice and happiness promised in the Qur'an.

w w w. h a r u n y a h y a . c o m

Translated by Carl Albert RossiniEdited by Tam Mossman

GLOBAL PUBLISHING Gursel Mh. Darulaceze Cd. No: 9

Funya Sk. Eksioglu Is Merkezi B Blok D: 5Okmeydani-Istanbul/Turkey

Tel:+90 212 3208600

PRINTED BY:Kelebek Matbaacilik

Istanbul/TurkeyTel: +90 212 6124359

IINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN 88

TTHHEE BBLLOOOODDYY TTOOLLLL OOFF TTEERRRROORR 1188

AATTHHEEIISSTT IIDDEEOOLLOOGGIIEESS AANNDD

TTHHEE RRIISSEE OOFF TTEERRRROORRIISSMM 3322

OONNLLYY LLOOVVEE CCAANN DDEEFFEEAATT TTEERRRROORRIISSMM 4466

AA CCAALLLL TTOO PPEEAACCEE:: TTOOLLEERRAANNCCEE AANNDD PPRROOPPEERR MMOORRAALLIITTYY

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TTHHEE PPRROOPPHHEETT MMOOHHAAMMMMEEDD''SS (peace be upon him)NNOOBBLLEE MMOORRAALLIITTYY 112266

SSOOLLUUTTIIOONNSS TTOO TTEERRRROORR AANNDD AANNAARRCCHHYY

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TTHHEE EEVVOOLLUUTTIIOONN MMIISSCCOONNCCEEPPTTIIOONN 116622

8

n 2001, jet planes were crashed into the World TradeCenter and the Pentagon, injuring and killing thousands.

In the days following these attacks—totally unexpected in theirtiming and method, aimed at the world's only superpower—theworld began debating the concept of terrorism that lay behindthem.

An atmosphere of fear and panic grew, especially in theUnited States. But that didn't last long: Soon the entire worldbegan wondering how best to combat terrorism. No longercould any country stand apart from the fight against terrorismand declare, "Those attacks weren't aimed at us." Citizens ofevery nation realized that the dark face of terrorism could con-front them at any time, whether asleep in their beds, whilewatching television, taking their children to the park, or at workin the office. The terrorists' aim, they realized, was to paralyzesociety, making civilians reluctant to venture into the street,much less use public transport or go shopping—in short, to cre-ate a permanent climate of fear. As soon as America recoveredfrom the shock of 9/11, it joined with a large number of othercountries to launch a worldwide war on terrorism. Right fromthe start, however, officials of this powerful coalition declaredopenly that it wouldn't be enough for them to fight on the mili-tary field alone.

How should the struggle against terrorism be pursued? Toanswer that question, we need to identify terrorism's roots. Todo so, we must examine the course of the past century, during

9

ONLY LOVE CAN DEFEAT TERRORISM

which terrorism first emerged as a major threat.

The 20th century's two World Wars, along with many re-

gional conflicts and various acts of local violence, made it the

most bloody century ever. In addition to that, toward the end of

the millennium, constant technological advances only helped

terrorists widen their reach. Now, just one touch of a button

could kill hundreds of innocents. High-tech terrorism could in-

flict billions of dollars in damage to any nation's economy and

shape world politics without ever emerging into the daylight.

Clearly, after the attacks on New York and Washington D. C. in

the United States—the world's greatest technological power—

no other country can consider itself safe from terrorism or be-

yond its deadly grasp. Worse still, if the necessary

10

September 11 resulted in the deaths of thousands of people,and in injuries to many more.

11


countermeasures aren't taken, the 21st-century terrorism willgrow even more powerful, until one single chemical, biological,or even nuclear attack can slaughter tens of thousands.

TTHHEE TTRRUUEE DDEEFFIINNIITTIIOONN OOFF TTEERRRROORRIISSMM

With terrorism dominating the world's agenda, the defini-tions of terror, terrorist, and terrorism assume a whole new im-portance. Many countries define terrorism, draw up terroristprofiles, and publish lists of terrorist organizations in the light oftheir own national interests. "Terrorist organizations" to somecountries are freedom fighters to others. What one country seesas "terrorist nations," another welcomes as "loyal allies."Therefore, who defines terrorism? Who decides—and how dothey decide—what a terrorist is? To establish a criterion, one canpoint out two distinct characteristics of terrorism:

1) Targeting civilians: Any occupied country has the rightto resist an army occupying its territory. But if that resistance in-cludes attacks on civilian targets, any justification ceases toapply, and terrorism begins. As we'll see later on in this book,this definition is entirely in accord with Islamic rules on war. TheProphet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace)commanded his followers to do battle against those who de-clared war on them. But he also ordered them to never regardcivilians as targets. On the contrary, every Muslim was ordered— and still obliged — to take great care to ensure the safety ofnon-combatants.

2) Destroying Peace: If no state of war exists, then terrorismcan also include attacks on military or official targets. Attacksintended to break down peaceful relations between countries or

12

13

Terrorism is currently costing lives in many countries acrossthe world. In the fight against it, terrorism's ideological foun-dations must be torn down. To this end, everyone who be-lieves in peace must pull together.

Time, 05.08.96

Newsweek, 27.09.93

Time, 21.08.2000

Time, 17.08.98

Newsweek, 04.02.2002

Time, 29.04.96


communities are acts of terrorism, even when aimed at militarytargets.

All attacks that threaten peace, or that are aimed at civiliantargets, even in a state of war, are terrorism. There can be noquestion of defending, approving or justifying such attacks.There can be no question of defending, approving or justifyingsuch attacks. However, such violence is very widespread in themodern world. That's why any war on terrorism needs to bewide-ranging. Its every stage should be carefully planned, withits final aim the total eradication of the entire concept. That, inturn, requires individuals in every nation to totally distancethemselves from terrorism. Every form of terrorism must be un-equivocally condemned—whatever its causes or aims, no matterwhat its targets, where it arises, or how it is carried out.Similarly, anyone sincerely opposed to terrorism should showthe same empathy for the thousands of innocent victims it hasslaughtered—not only at the World Trade Center, but in attacksin Japan and Spain, in East Turkestan and Indonesia, in the mas-sacre of more than half a million Hutus in Rwanda, in the mur-der of defenseless people in Palestine, Israel, and all across theglobe.

Once every form of terrorism is fiercely condemned, thenno longer will its perpetrators receive support from any country,or be allowed to seek shelter inside its borders. Quite literally,terrorists will have nowhere to hide.

TTHHEE IIDDEEOOLLOOGGIICCAALL FFOOUUNNDDAATTIIOONN OOFF TTEERRRROORRIISSMMBefore the war against terrorism can come to any definitive

14

conclusion, its underlying philosophy must first be identified,along with the means to be employed. This book, therefore,deals with terrorism's basic starting point, as well as the disas-ters to which it leads. Its starting point is the assumption that vi-olence is a virtue in itself and a powerful means to solve social orpolitical problems. While killing the innocents, damaging publicorder, and disrupting peace, any terrorist acts under the influ-ence of ideas that have been imposed on him, coaxing him to be-lieve that he's engaged in a justified struggle. Terrorism can behealed only when such people understand the mistaken illogicof any ideology that inspires terrorism and incites to violence---and when they realize that going along with it can never getthem anywhere. Until those ideologies' errors and contradic-tions are revealed, all measures taken against terrorism can beshort-term only. Soon terrorism will emerge again, in differentplaces and under different circumstances, behind a differentmask.

We can put an end to terrorism only by destroying its ideo-logical infrastructure. In later chapters, you'll see that modernterrorism's ideological foundations in fact go back to SocialDarwinism and the materialist tendencies derived from it.People exposed to this indoctrination believe that life is a field ofstruggle, and that only the strong survive. The weak are con-demned to be eliminated. Man and, in fact, the entire universe,are both products of chance. Therefore, no one is responsible forhis actions to anyone else. These and similar ideas inevitablycoax people into leading an animalistic form of life, where ruth-lessness, aggression and violence are regarded as acceptable oreven virtuous.

Introduction

15


Anyone who resorts to terrorism, maintaining that violenceis the only way to achieve his aims, is actually under the influ-ence of Social Darwinism and materialist thought, no matterwhat his religion or race, or what group he belongs to. Modernterrorist groups that claim to act in the name of religion are alsounder Darwinism's influence and materialism, even though theyclaim to carry out their terroristic acts in the name of religion.This is because for anyone who lives by the morality of religionrevealed by God, it's impossible to approve of violence of anykind, much less achieve a "higher" aim by murdering others.Those who resort to such methods are therefore pursuing theexact opposite of the moral values upheld by religion, carryingout their actions under the influence of materialist ideologies.

In Islam Denounces Terrorism, it was made clear that Islamfiercely rejects all forms of terrorism, no matter whom it may bedirected against. In the light of verses from the Qur'an, it was ex-plained how religion's morality calls people to peace, tolerance,and convenience. Also stressed was the dishonesty of condemn-ing only those acts of terrorism directed against one's own side:

16

MMaakkee aalllloowwaanncceess ffoorr ppeeooppllee,, ccoommmmaanndd wwhhaatt iiss rriigghhtt,,

aanndd ttuurrnn aawwaayy ffrroomm tthhee iiggnnoorraanntt.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 77::119999))

Such an attitude only weakens the fight against terrorism; andanyone living according to Islamic morality needs to fight terrorin all its all forms. The foundation of that intellectual struggle isbased on revealing the true morality of religion.

Today's politicians, political commentators and academicsagree that by itself, military force isn't enough to root out terror-ism. This book concentrates on the only way it can be eradicated:by means of peace, tolerance, and love. All the divinely-inspiredreligions that God sent down by means of His messengers arehelpful guides. This book offers examples from the Qur'an aswell as from the Bible (even though the latter has been partiallydistorted) to show how each of the three divine religions forbidsthe use of unjust violence. It also gives examples to show that theonly way to fight terrorism is to heal the root causes through thelove, affection, compassion, humility, forgiveness, tolerance andconcepts of justice that religion's morality instils in people--whom, following the verse from the Qur'an (10:25): "God calls tothe Abode of Peace... " Such fortunates will do their utmost tobuild a world full of peace and love.

Introduction

17

LLeett tthheerree bbee aa ccoommmmuunniittyy aammoonngg yyoouuwwhhoo ccaallll ttoo tthhee ggoooodd,, aanndd eennjjooiinn tthhee

rriigghhtt,, aanndd ffoorrbbiidd tthhee wwrroonngg.. TThheeyy aarree tthheeoonneess wwhhoo hhaavvee ssuucccceessss.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 33::110044))

18

errorism is one of the gravest menaces facing our 21st-century world because it sees acts of violence as the only

way to achieve political aims. The particular aim or problem de-pends on the terrorist's individual worldview. In a terrorist'seyes, political dilemmas and conflicts caused by ethnic and cul-tural differences can be resolved by violence alone. No groupcan get what it wants, except by "blood and iron".

The terrorist believes that his objectives—enforcing his de-mands, spreading his organization's propaganda--can be at-tained only by damaging the fabric of society; when unease, fear,and conflict come to dominate daily life. Some groups aim totake advantage of the climate of chaos that their actions bringabout. They think that it will be easier to achieve their aimswhere social stability has collapsed, individuals are wrackedwith fear and uncertainty. From the destruction, they claim, willrise what they call "righteousness and justice." But expectingthat acts of terrorism can establish righteousness and justice, orthat problems can be resolved by violence, is a terrible mistake.Violence is counter-productive: All they that live by the swordshall perish by the sword.

In the Qur'an (13:25), God describes such people as "those[who] cause corruption in the earth." So far, they have managedonly to increase the number of deaths among the innocent---andamong their own supporters as well. Every year, terrorist attackscause thousands to live in fear and anxiety and suffer economicharm, not to mention those who are wounded or killed.

19


Terrorism threatens all of mankind, its toll so very terrible thatfighting has become urgently essential.

TTEERRRROORRIISSMM IISS CCLLOOSSEE TTOO HHOOMMEE!!

There are an estimated 500 terrorist groups in the world.These include international cartels controlling trade in drugs,arms and prostitution, as well as underground organizations,marginal movements, various radical ideological groups, anddeviant cults that stage actions allegedly in the name of religion.Many terrorist organizations do operate within their own coun-tries' borders, but a number target what they have decided as"enemy" countries, through attacks on prominent sites and indi-viduals that, they calculate, will elicit a huge public reaction.From the reaction, they seek to achieve fame, in fact notoriety,which they hope that will add to their power.

Though terrorism has existed since the earliest times,through esoteric organizations like the Sicarii or Assassins, andflourished in the modern times through revolutionary cadreslike the sans-cullottes of the French Revolution or the RussianNihilism of the 19th century, its threat really came to the fore inthe 20th century, which saw an explosion in acts of terror and inthe number of terrorists who committed them. Weapons of massdestruction and the rapid advance of technology made terroristattacks much easier and vastly increased their destructiveness.

By the 1960s, people began to wonder seriously what mighthappen, if a terrorist group managed to acquire some kind of nu-clear weapon that could result in the deaths of tens of thousands.A biological or chemical attack could wipe entire populations off

20

the map. No such attack happened, fortunately. But by the 1990s,

the chances of such attacks increased. These concerns only

heightened with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the weak-

ening of control over its nuclear arsenal. The spread of the

Internet and the facilitation of all forms of information increased

worries still further.1 Fear of terrorism became the subject of

hundreds of films and books. Reports were written about the

possible consequences; research was carried out. Now, all too

obviously, terrorists could go beyond familiar, limited actions

like bombings, armed robberies, skyjackings and kidnappings,

to attack entire communities. Such attacks could be carried out

by remote control or computer, with no direct human interven-

tion.

The Bloody Toll of Terror

21

Bhagwan Shee Rajneesh, leader of a perverted cultthat poisoned 750 people in Oregon, here seen withhis followers.


A number of recent fears in the USinvolving biological weapons like ofthe anthrax bacteria revealed the scaleof the threat posed by bio-terrorismand biological weapons. With the helpof an experienced chemist in a simplelaboratory, terrorists can now threatenthe lives of thousands. One of the firstexamples of this occurred in 1984, when 750people were poisoned in four restaurants in a small town inOregon.2 Later, it was revealed that a Hindu-inspired New Agecult under the leadership of Baghwan Shree Rajneesh was re-sponsible. Disciples had grown salmonella bacteria on theirfarms and placed them in salad bars in area restaurants. In 1995,the Aum Shinrikyo ("Higher Truth") cult released the poison gassarin in the Tokyo underground subway system, leading to the

22

Aum Shinrikyo

The Oregon attack was animportant sign of the threatposed by terrorist groupswho possess biologicalweapons.

deaths of 12 people and another 5,500 injured. Subsequent in-quiries revealed that the cult had tried to construct biologicalweapons in its own laboratories--revealing just how large athreat terrorism poses to the public.3

In the 21st century, computer technology is expected to playan important role in terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, more "conven-tional" ways of terrorism, like bombings, arson attacks, skyjack-ings and kidnappings are still going on all over the world, fromEurope to America, from Asia to Africa. Since 1962, for example,members of the ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) terrorist organiza-tion, fighting for the Basque region's independence, has carriedout many terrorist attacks in Spain, resulting in the deaths ofmore than 800.4 For years, the Irish Republican Army has seizedworld headlines with its bloody attacks to gain independencefor Northern Ireland. The central aim of the IRA is to end Britishcontrol of Northern Ireland and to achieve the reunification ofthe island of Ireland. Generally it has operated in NorthernIreland and London, but has also been involved in bombings invarious European countries such as Germany. Since 1969, theIRA's terrorist attacks , and Britain's methods of "counter-terror-ism", have caused the deaths of more than 3,200 on both sides ofthe conflict.5 Millions of dollars' worth of damage has beencaused by IRA bombings of airports and underground stations,again aimed at civilians. During a European FootballChampionship match on June 15, 1996, an IRA car bombing in aManchester shopping center resulted in some 200 injuries.

Currently, no country can feel safe from this kind of threat.The few examples just cited show just how deeply terrorism has


23

24

come to influence peoples' lives. No longer the problem of just afew specific nations, it's a threat that faces all mankind. Becauseno one can tell when, where or how terrorists will strike, thefight against them can no longer be considered the duty of ahandful of countries or organizations. Terrorism, threatening theentire world, can be resolved only if well-intentioned peoplesupport each other in search of peace, friendship and brother-hood.

TTEERRRROORRIISSMM''SS DDAARRKK FFAACCEE

Terrorism is currently inflicting suffering and physicaldamage all over the world, not only in the United States, but inthe African countries of Uganda, Angola and Nigeria; in theEuropean nations of Great Britain, France and Spain; in Asiancountries like Japan, and throughout the Middle East and LatinAmerica. At any moment, civilians can find themselves facing aterrorist attack, whether sitting at home or at a movie theater, ina shopping center, riding a bus, or at their workplace. Naturally,terrorism's ability to enter peoples' homes has led to consider-able anxiety and alarm. People are hesitant to enter crowdedareas or use public transport; their daily lives are becoming in-tolerable. But that is exactly what terrorism wants to see: wholecommunities living in fear and alarm.

The evidence of terrible attacks throughout in the world


25

For years, the militants of the ETA and the IRA murderedmany civilians and caused great physical damage inSpain and the UK.


certainly confirms that concern. In 1996, there were 296 incidents

with 314 people killed and 2,912 injured. In 1997, terrorism's

scope began to expand: Out of 439 attacks, 398 were aimed at

workplaces or non-official premises, leading to the loss of 139

civilian lives, 39 of them civil servants or military personnel.6

According to the U.S. State Department, the number of ter-

rorist attacks in 2000 saw an eight percent rise over 1999, with

423 deaths and 791 injured. Between 1981 and 2000, the total

number of dead resulting from terrorist attacks was 9,184.7 Nor

do these figures include all the people who died in all terrorist

attacks across the globe. The report considered only attacks by

international terrorist organizations, not those inflicted by local

terrorist groups. In Turkey alone there were 21,866 terrorist at-

tacks between August 15, 1984 and October 31, 2001, costing the

lives of 5,605 security personnel and 4,646 civilians. A further

16,562 security forces and 5,091 civilians were injured.8

Terrorist actions' physical damage and economic harm add

yet another sobering dimension to the picture. The chaos and an-

archy provoked by such incidents prevent investment in the af-

fected regions. Attacks aimed at the economic infrastructure

doesn't just hold back development. Existing resources are also

destroyed, creating economic difficulties that impede social life

across a wide spectrum of areas, particularly education. Military

costs of the struggle against terrorism impose yet another bur-

den. This diversion of resources that should be spent on raising

standards of living affects not just the nation in question, but the

entire global economy.

26

27

Graphs prepared by the U.S. State Department. The top one shows the re-gional distribution of terrorist incidents between 1995 and 2000. The bot-

tom graph gives the chronological distribution of such incidents from1981 through 2000.

199519961997199819992000

Africa Asia Eurasia Latin America

MiddleEast

NorthAmerica

WesternEurope

World-Wide Terrorism Events

Terrorism Events Between 1981-2000

10 11 11 11

21 21 2442

1435

31

45 4537

3125

16 13

52 4885

30

0 0 0 02

9284

128

111 12

1

121

193

489 487 498

565

635612

666

605

375

437

565

363

431

322

440

296 304274

82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000

392423

1981

272

4972

5

98

52 55

15


This summary reveals the grim picture that terrorism repre-sents--bringing destruction all over the world and causing un-told harm to human lives.

28

On August 10,2001, morethan 250 diedin an attack ona train byUNITA guerril-las fighting forAngolan inde-pendence.

29

On August 30, 1996, 300 people died when a bomb ex-ploded on a train in the Assam region of India. The attackis believed to have been carried out by separatist Bodoguerrillas.

On October 21, 1999,a rocket attack on acrowded shoppingcenter in the Chechencapital of Grozny re-sulted in 110 deathsand 400 injuries.

As a result of bomb explosions at the U.S.embassies in Kenya and Tanzania onAugust 7, 1998, 224 people were killed andhundreds were injured.

30

This Marxist-Leninist-Maoist guerrilla group oper-ates in Peru. Founded in the 1960s by Abimael Guzman, aprofessor of philosophy, the organization was originallyregarded as just another political movement. In the 1970s,however, the Shining Path turned into a savage guerrillagroup that is now one of the bloodiest terrorist organiza-tions in the world.

Guzman's statements in support of violence are par-ticularly striking. In an April 19, 1980 address, theShining Path's leader declared, "The future lies in gunsand cannons."9 One of his guerrilla followers praised theuse of violence: "Blood makes us stronger ... and if it isflowing, it is not harming us, but giving us strength."The organization openly stated that its struggle was builton the use of violence and debated how this could be in-creased in Peru. As a result, some 30,000 Peruvians werekilled in the conflict.

The 1980s saw the end of Guzman's teaching careerand the beginning of ongoing terrorism all overPeru. Like the Japanese kamikazes during WorldWar II, Guzman and the Shining Path romanticizeddeath. They believed it was a small price to pay forthe rewards awaiting them beyond what Guzmancalled the "river of blood." Many innocent civilianswere abducted, raped, tortured and killed; over

one percent of the population died brutaldeaths related to political violence. To

TTHHEE BBLLOOOODDYY TTEERRRROORR TTHHEE BBLLOOOODDYY TTEERRRROORR OOFF TTHHEE SSHHIINNIINNGG PPAATTHHOOFF TTHHEE SSHHIINNIINNGG PPAATTHH

31

further their cause, Guzman--then commonlyknown as "President Gonzalo"--and his Shining Pathsought out and killed people of especially modestmeans, including teachers, mayors and civic lead-ers.10

For years, the Shining Path inflicted physical andpsychological damage, forcing the Peruvian public to livein fear That is a natural consequence of terrorism and, aswill be emphasized throughout this book, love is the onlyway of defeating its root causes. Such a love for humanitywill overcome the blind hatred and political necrophiliathat terrorism is fed from.

Peru's Shining Path, a Maoist terror-ist organization, caused the deathsof more than 30,000. The picture at

top right shows AbimealGuzman, the organiza-

tion's leader.

32

f a sick person is to be treated properly, an accurate di-agnosis is essential. Whatever treatment follows that diagnosismust be followed meticulously and decisively, until the sicknessis finally expelled from the body. If not, the illness will inevitablyrecur. The same applies to one of the most serious ills affectingsociety. One of the chief reasons why we can't find effective solu-tions to this century's social problems is that their causes aren'tproperly identified. When dealing with any social problem, thefirst thing to do is establish what causes give rise to it.Otherwise, whatever measures are taken can only be temporary.

The roots of terrorism are often sought in concrete matters;and thus the fight against it, aimed at these superficial targets,cannot provide lasting results. In order to free the world fromterrorism, the principal factors behind it must be identified andeliminated.

TTHHEE TTAANNGGLLEEDD WWEEBB OOFF TTEERRRROORRIISSTTSS'' LLOOGGIICC

It's not possible to defeat terrorism by security measures.By itself, military force is only likely to meet with increased vio-lence, producing a vicious circle in which bloodshed continuesto be answered with more bloodshed. When embarking on thefight against terrorists, we need to understand—and then com-bat--their way of thinking, the way they view life and otherhuman beings, and how they justify their use of violence.

A terrorist believes that he can succeed only by using vio-

33

lence. He wants people around to fear him, and cloaks himself in

pitilessness, ruthlessness and aggression to bring that fear about.

Anyone opposing his ideas is an enemy, whom he regards as an

object that needs to be eliminated. In his article, "Terrorists View

us as Targets, not as Humans," psychotherapist and Journal

Sentinel writer Philip Chard examines the terrorist mindset and

how they justify violent attacks aimed at defenseless people:

"Researchers have glimpsed aspects of [the terrorists'] psy-

ches. Most prominent among these is their capacity to view

their victims as things, as objects, as statistics that, they

34


Terrorists believethey can achievetheir aims only by vi-olence. Through vio-lence they spreadfear in society,which they hope toadd to their power.

hope, will show up on a casu-alty list.

"They don't want to experience their victims ashuman beings, as they would a friend or loved one.

Rather, they strive to view them as pawns on a politicalchessboard. Consequently, from their own vantage point,terrorists don't perceive themselves as killing 'people.' Inorder to slaughter with ease and callous indifference, theymentally dehumanize us into 'targets' ... Their 'cause,'whatever it may be, is sufficiently sacred, noble or desper-ate that it justifies the carnage they instigate ... For most ter-rorists, their chief interest resides in effects, not persons ...They are after ... the impact of the massacre, not the experi-ence of the massacre itself. Terrorists want to murder hope,or a way of life, or the spirit of a group of people or an entirenation. They destroy human beings because they believedoing so is the fastest and most direct route to that goal."11

Philip Chard draws our attention to a most important mat-ter: that terrorists feel not the slightest pang of remorse at thedeath of others. On the contrary, the more they can kill, the moresuccessful they consider themselves to be, and rejoice in thatfact. Such minds can quite happily shoot innocent people andbomb small children. For them, shedding blood becomes asource of pleasure. They cease to be human and turn into savagemonsters. If one of them does evidence the slightest remorse, heis immediately branded a traitor by his more radical comrades.

35

Atheist Ideologies and the Rise of Terrorism


Being more radical and more bloody is considered to be more

devout in the cause, so the zeal to kill increases constantly. Since

any dispute can easily be defined as treacher, terrorists invari-

ably use guns against each other, and carry out attacks on other

splinter groups within their own ranks.

This passionate attachment to violence goes deeper beyond

political ideologies and in fact stems from an underlying mis-

conception about human nature. The terrorist mindset finds its

inspiration from the materialist philosophy and Darwinist

thought. Darwinism regards human beings as animals and

maintains that living things evolve through a struggle for sur-

vival in nature. Eliminating the weak, so that the strong can

emerge victorious, forms the essence of any terrorist's twisted

thinking.

TTHHEE TTEERRRROORRIISSTT MMIINNDDSSEETT WWAASS BBUUIILLTT BBYY DDAARRWWIINNIISSMM

According to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, there is

constant conflict in nature, and a ruthless competition for sur-

vival. The strong always defeat the weak, thus enabling progress.

Out of that concept came the idea of the "struggle for survival"

and such terms as "the favored races" (European whites) and "in-

36

The savagery of terrorism is felt in almost every country in theworld. According to U.S. State Department figures, the year 2000

saw an 8 percent increase in terrorist incidents over 1999.

37


ferior" ones (Asian or African races). This racist logic laid thegroundwork for hatred and conflicts all over the world. In turn,Darwin's idea of "the survival of the fittest" justified a great manymovements that led mankind to hatred, enmity, conflict and war.

Darwinism still indoctrinates people with the deception thathumans are no more than a highly developed animal species, theresult of blind chance and have no Creator. This theory maintainsthat the world once consisted of nothing but inanimate rock, soil,and gasses. By sheer coincidence, life emerged as a result of theeffect of natural forces like wind and rain and lightning on or-ganic molecules. The theory goes on to explain all life on earth,including human beings, as a product of the blind forces of na-ture and mere chance. Yet this theory of evolution is a huge de-ception that violates the most basic laws of chemistry and biologyand defies all reason and logic. (For more on this subject, seeChapter 7, The Evolution Deception). However, the theory is im-posed on modern society with an enormous propaganda andpeople indoctrinated with this idea believe themselves to be theproducts of chemical and biological accidents — free of all re-sponsibility to the Creator and His moral code. Moreover, thoseunder the spell of Darwinist logic—seeing life as a battlefield andtherefore, justifying all kinds of wickedness in the struggle forsurvival--are brainwashed with the terrible idea that it's normalto treat other people like animals, even to exterminate them.

People educated with such ideas transformed the 20th cen-tury into one of savagery, supported conflict as part ofDarwinism, and even regarded war as the most important meansof furthering their aims. "Dialectical conflict" became the so-

38

called justification for the massacres carried out by Communistideologues. Over the course of the century, Communist terrorcost the lives of some 120 million people. Darwin's nonsensical"struggle for survival between the races " and "natural selection"became the foundations for Nazism. Adolf Hitler claimed thatonly the superior races could—or should—survive. The Fascistterror he inspired unleashed a wave of slaughter across the entireworld. Some 55 million people died in World War II, which beganas a result of the Nazis' policies of war and occupation. Those inthe 21st century who still follow those ideas, regard violence asthe only way and want this century to go down in history as oneof terror.

Darwinism's theory that man is a warring animal, withwhich so many are subconsciously indoctrinated, has wreakeddreadful harm on mankind. Terrorist attacks are echoes of that.Darwinist slogans that maintain that only the strongest can sur-vive, praise violence, support conflict, and see war as a virtueneed to be thrown, once and for all, into the dustbin of history.Darwinism's overthrow can undermine all of those ideologiesthat support conflict and violence.

On the other hand, the definition of human nature by themonotheist faiths is much different Christianity, Judaism andIslam--the three religions believed in by most people in theworld--all oppose the Social Darwinist value called conflict. Aswe'll see in greater detail in subsequent sections, each of these re-ligions aims at bringing peace and security to the world, whileopposing the oppression, torture, and killing of the innocent.Conflict and violence, they agree, are abnormal and unwanted


39

40

concepts, violating the morality that God has set out for Man.Darwinism, on the other hand, regards violence and conflict asessential, and therefore justified. In short, the source of theworld's terrorist nightmare lies in atheism and its contemporaryequivalents: Darwinism and materialism.

Since schools in many countries teach Darwinism as clearscientific fact, new generations of terrorists are inevitable. Fromthat point of view, it's urgent to prevent young people from beingtaught that they're the result of chance, descended from animals,totally unfettered with no duties towards God, and can surviveonly by emerging victorious in the struggle for survival. Anyonebrought up to believe such concepts will inevitably be selfish, ag-gressive, ruthless, and prone to violence. Such young people areeasily susceptible to anarchic and terrorist indoctrination.Following such ideologies, they can become cruel enough to killchildren and murder their own brothers and sisters, without bat-ting an eyelid. The communist, racist and fascist terror groupsthat have plagued the world for the last hundred years are theproducts of just such an educational system.

That being so, we need to expose the true rottenness of ter-rorist logic. People need to be awakened to the fact, as effectivelyas possible, that all those who support and believe in Darwinismare mistaken. Man is not unfettered and irresponsible. We dohave a Creator Who watches us at all times, knows even our in-nermost thoughts and Who, in the hereafter, will call us to ac-count for all our deeds. Our Lord has created Man different fromthe animals, in that we possess a soul, reason, free will, judgmentand powers of discrimination. If a weak-willed person, easily an-


41

42

1

1

2

2

3

3

gered, regards himself and others as mere animals, he can act in a

totally ruthless manner and easily do them harm. It makes no dif-

ference if those others are totally innocent children. But anyone

who possesses reason and conscience and knows that he bears a

soul, given him by God, holds his anger in check--no matter what

the circumstances. His judgment and conscience will always pre-

vail. Never will he do the slightest thing for which God might

one day call him to account.

In the Qur'an (91: 7-10), God reveals that Man is inspired by

both evil and the will to avoid it. Therefore, it's not some imagi-

nary evolutionary process that underlies moral degeneration and

the commission of crimes. Immorality and crime come from the

evil side of human nature, which can only be defeated by per-

sonal devotion to the moral values that God has taught to hu-

manity through religion. If people have no faith in God and don't

believe they must ever account to Him for their actions, they have

no reason to avoid committing evil in the forms of personal greed

and dishonesty or social evils like wars, racist killings, gang wars

or ruthless skinhead assaults. On a less dramatic level, it accounts

for why people are left to starve, and for the rampant injustice


43

Modern schools teach Darwinism as if it were a scientificfact. This dissemination of Darwinist philosophy helps therise of social violence, including terrorism. Indoctrinatedwith the idea that conflict and struggle are a part of life,young people slowly begin to regard violence as perfectlynormal and even take pleasure in it.

and ruthlessness in the world today. There is no end to the cruel-ties of those who regard Man as only an animal species, believingthat they, like animals, are engaged in a struggle for survival. Notbelieving in God and the hereafter, they induce others to forgetabout them too.

Every human being bears a soul breathed into him by God,and is responsible to the Creator Who created him out of nothing.In the Qur'an (75: 36-40), God reminds those who think of them-selves as totally unfettered that they were created, and will beresurrected after death: "Does Man reckon he will be left togoon unchecked? Was he not a drop of ejaculated sperm, then ablood clot which He created and shaped, making from it bothsexes, male and female? Is He Who does this, not able to bringthe dead to life?"

So far, we have concentrated on how Social Darwinism, be-lieving that violence is the solution to every problem, encouragesviolence and is the foundation of terrorism. That is why demol-ishing the Darwinistic theory--which teaches that man is an ani-mal, that only the physically powerful can survive, and thathuman life is a battleground--will also demolish one of terror-ism's mainstays. The most effective means of protecting peoplefrom the nightmare of terrorism is spiritual education. Societiescan achieve permanent peace only when their individuals learnto live by proper morality. Beyond that, other measures, rules andprecautions to regulate the life of society can go only so far, butcan never eradicate the scourge of terrorism.

44

45

TThheerree iiss tthhee eennjjooyymmeenntt oofftthhiiss wwoorrlldd.. TThheenn tthheeyy wwiillllrreettuurrnn ttoo UUss.. TThheenn WWee wwiilllllleett tthheemm ttaassttee tthhee tteerrrriibblleeppuunniisshhmmeenntt bbeeccaauussee tthheeyy

wweerree ddiissbbeelliieevveerrss.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 1100::7700))

46

n the Qur'an (32: 9) , God reveals that He has breathedHis own soul into Man, His creation, and that Man isHis representative on earth (Qur'an, 6: 165). One of the

most important differences between Man and the animals is thatMan was created with both earthly desires and with a con-science. Every person possesses desires that incite him to evil,along with a conscience that inspires him to avoid it. Alongsidesuch pleasing attributes inspired by that conscience--love, sacri-fice, compassion, humility, affection, honesty, loyalty and kind-ness--he also possesses destructive and undesirable tendencies,stemming from his earthly desires. Thanks to his conscience,however, the believer can distinguish between right and wrongand opt for what is morally right. Strong belief in and fear ofGod, faith in the hereafter, powerful fear of the endless tormentsof hell and a yearning for Paradise all keep the temptations of hisearthly desires at bay. Therefore, he always behaves well to-wards people, is forgiving, responds to wickedness with good,assists those in need, and shows compassion, love, affection andtolerance.

Terrorists, on the other hand, listen to their earthly desirefor violence instead of their consciences, and can easily turn toall forms of wickedness. They become loveless, aggressive peo-ple who easily hurt others without the slightest pang of con-science. Having no fear of God, they do not know the morality ofreligion, nor do they practice it. Nothing can stop them fromcommitting crimes.

47


In restraining its citizens, society's prevailing rules can goonly so far. Thanks to its law enforcement units, the state may beable to partially protect streets and public spaces, and--thanks toa powerful system of justice--may be able to take necessarymeans to ensure public order and ensure that the crime ratedrops. But since it's impossible to keep watch on every individ-ual, 24 hours a day, it's essential that peoples' consciences enterthe equation at some stage. Someone who doesn't heed the voiceof his conscience can easily turn to crime when on his own, orsurrounded by people of like mind. The result is a society of in-dividuals who gladly lie when they feel it necessary, have nocompunction against enjoying unfair profits, and feel no qualmsabout oppressing and exploiting the weak. In a society that haslost all spiritual values and has no fear of God, purely physicalmeasures are clearly not going to solve every problem. Themorality of religion, on the other hand, commands a person toavoid evil deeds, even when on his own and when he knowsthat nobody in his community will ever punish him for his mis-deeds. The person who knows that God will call him to accountfor his every deed, his every decision and his every word--andwill reward him for them accordingly in the hereafter--will al-ways avoid evil.

Terrorist organizations can't possibly have any place in asociety whose people avoid evil of their own free will. Where re-ligion's morality prevails, problems that give rise to organiza-tions supporting the use of violence will disappear naturally. Ifthe whole society possesses superior virtues like honesty, sacri-fice, love and justice, there can be no place for such things as

48

poverty, unequal distribution of income, injustice, the oppres-sion of the weak, or limitations on freedoms. On the contrary, asocial order will emerge that meets the wants of the needy;where the wealthy protect the poor and the strong, the weak;where everyone can enjoy the very best health care, education,and transport systems. There, tolerance and understanding willdominate the relationships between different ethnic groups, reli-gions and cultures.

For these reasons, proper morality is the key to solving somany social problems. The source of that key, in turn, is theQur'an, which God has revealed as a guide for mankind.

MMOODDEERRAATTEE IISSLLAAMM--IINN OOTTHHEERR WWOORRDDSS,, TTRRUUEE IISSLLAAMM

For half a century after the first verse was revealed to theProphet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace),Islam underwent such an expansion as has seldom been seen. Itspread from the Arabian Peninsula to the whole of the MiddleEast, North Africa and even Spain, drawing the attention ofmany in the West. In the words of the famous Islamic expertJohn L. Esposito, "What is most striking about the early expan-sion of Islam is its rapidity and success. Western scholars havemarveled at it."12 Over the next centuries, Islam reached all cor-ners of the world, from Indonesia to Latin America. Today, Islamis accepted as the fastest growing religion, and its roughly onebillion followers represent about one-fifth of the world's popula-tion. Interest in Islam particularly increased after the terrorist at-tacks of September 11, 2001. (For more details, see The Rise of

Only Love Can Defeat Terrorism

49


Islam by Harun Yahya).Looking at today's Islamic world today, we see a wide

range of religious practices, depending on societies' differentcustoms and traditions, their cultural heritage, and world views.This has led some individuals researching or trying to under-stand Islam to form mistaken impressions. Those differencesmay symbolize only the traditional values of the society underexamination, but Islam itself. The only way of arriving at an ac-curate opinion of Islam is to put aside these differences and turnto the Qur'an, where the essence of Islamic morality is set out,and to the actions of our Prophet (may God bless him and granthim peace).

Even if Muslims comprise the majority in a community,that does not mean that community's behavior, views and judg-ments will necessarily be Islamic, nor that they need be de-

50

...... IIff ssoommeeoonnee kkiillllss aannootthheerr——uunnlleessss iittiiss iinn rreettaalliiaattiioonn ffoorr ssoommeeoonnee eellssee oorr

ffoorr ccaauussiinngg ccoorrrruuppttiioonn iinn tthhee eeaarrtthh——iittiiss aass iiff hhee hhaadd mmuurrddeerreedd aallll mmaannkkiinndd..

AAnndd iiff aannyyoonnee ggiivveess lliiffee ttoo aannootthheerrppeerrssoonn,, iitt iiss aass iiff hhee hhaadd ggiivveenn lliiffee ttoo

aallll mmaannkkiinndd...... ((QQuurr''aann,, 55::3322))

fended in the name of Islam. When evaluating an individual's—or community's—view of Islam, that must always be borne inmind. Differences may stem from prevailing conditions. Theonly way to ascertain whether those views are correct is by turn-ing to the Qur'an, the most accurate source of truth about Islam,and to the actions of our Prophet (may God bless him and granthim peace).

It is most unfair to pass judgment on Islam and Muslimswithout studying the Qur'an to learn whether a particular prac-tice appears in it. Examining the lifestyle of a single communityonly can seriously mislead anyone who tries to understandIslam and form opinions about it. First, what needs to be done isto learn about Islam from its true source. Then, once the variousmodels in different parts of the world are considered in the lightof those criteria, many who only imagined they knew aboutIslam will actually come to do so for the first time; and can freethemselves from the errors they have been laboring under so far.

Islam Forbids the Killing of InnocentsAccording to the Qur'an (5:32), it is a great sin to kill an in-

nocent person, and anyone who does so will suffer great tormentin the hereafter:

… If someone kills another person--unless it is in retalia-tion for someone else or for causing corruption in theearth--it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if any-one gives life to another person, it is as if he had given lifeto all mankind. Our Messengers came to them with ClearSigns, but even after that, many of them committed out-


51


rages in the earth."

This verse equals the killing of one innocent to slaughtering

all of humanity! Another verse (25:68) expresses the importance

that the faithful attach to life:

Those who do not appeal to any other deity besides God[alone]; nor kill any soul whom God has forbidden [themto] except with the right to do so; nor fornicate. Anyonewho does so will incur a penalty.

In yet another verse (6:151), God issues the following com-

mandment:

52

Terrorism targets the innocent, although God forbids the killing ofeven one innocent person.

Say: "Come, and I will recite to you what your Lord hasforbidden for you": that you do not associate anythingwith Him; that you are good to your parents; that you donot kill your children because of poverty--We will pro-vide for you and them; that you do not approach inde-cency – outward or inward; that you do not kill anyperson God has made inviolate – except with the right todo so. That is what He instructs you to do, so that hope-fully, you will use your intellect.

Any Muslim who believes in God with a sincere heart, whoscrupulously abides by His holy verses and fears suffering in thehereafter, will avoid harming even one other person. He knowsthat the Lord of Infinite Justice will suitably reward him for allhis deeds. In one of the hadiths, our Prophet (may God bless himand grant him peace) listed the kinds of people who are notpleasing to God:

"Those who act cruelly and justly in the sacred lands, those whoyearn for the ways of the ignorant, and those who wrongly shedhuman blood."13

Islam Commands People to Behave JustlyIslamic morality commands believers to behave justly and

morally in making a decision, speaking, or working--in short, inevery area of their lives. God's commandments in the Qur'anand the sunnah of our Prophet (may God bless him and granthim peace) describe that understanding of justice in great detail.With their warnings, all the Messengers revealed to us in theQur'an brought peace and justice to all the communities where


53


they were sent. The prophets helped lift cruelty and despotismfrom the shoulders of the community of the faithful. As God hasrevealed in one verse (10:47):

Every nation has a Messenger, and when their Messengercomes, everything is decided between them justly. Theyare not wronged.

A most important feature of Islamic understanding of jus-tice is that it commands justice at all times, even if one is dealingwith a person who is near and dear. As God commands in an-other verse (4:135):

You who believe! Be upholders of justice, bearing witnessfor God alone, even against yourselves or your parentsand relatives. Whether they are rich or poor, God is wellable to look after them. Do not follow your own desiresand deviate from the truth. If you twist or turn away, Godis aware of what you do.

That verse clearly states that to a believer, the wealth or so-cial status of whomever one deals with is of no importance.What is important is fairness—no one should be treated un-justly--and to scrupulously implement the holy verses of God. Inanother verse (5:8), it is commanded:

You who believe! Show integrity for the sake of God,bearing witness with justice. Do not let hatred for a peo-ple incite you into not being just. Be just. That is closer toheedfulness. Heed God. God is aware of what you do.

In that verse, God orders the faithful to act justly always,even with their own enemies. No Muslim can make a sponta-

54

neous decision, based on the fact that the person he's dealingwith has once harmed him or left him in a difficult situation.Even when he is a personal enemy, if the other side is genuinelyin the wrong, any Muslim has the duty to respond with goodwill and to display the morality God has commanded.

To believers, God has issued the following commandment(60:8): "God does not forbid you from being good to those whohave not fought you in the religion or driven you from yourhomes, or from being just towards them. God loves those whoare just." Here, He informs Muslims how their relationshipswith other people should be. These verses are the very founda-tion of a believer's attitude towards others, formed not by the na-ture of the people he is dealing with, but by God's revelations inthe Qur'an. That is why Muslims with pure hearts always sup-port what is right. Their determination on this matter is revealedin these terms (Qur'an, 7:181): "Among those We have created,there is a community who guide by the Truth and act justly ac-cording to it."

Other verses in the Qur'an on the subject of justice read:

God commands you to return to their owners the thingsyou hold on trust and, when you judge between people,to judge with justice. How excellent is what God exhortsyou to do! God is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. (4:58)

Say: "My Lord has commanded justice. Stand and faceHim in every mosque and call on Him, making your reli-gion sincerely His. As He originated you, so you will re-turn." (7:29)

God commands justice and doing good and giving to rel-


55


atives. And He forbids indecency and doing wrong andtyranny. He warns you so that hopefully, you will payheed. (16:90)

All over the world, people are subjected to cruel treatment

because of their race, language or skin color. Yet according to the

view of justice as set out in the Qur'an, a person's ethnicity, race

or gender are of no importance, because Islam maintains that all

people are equal. Our Prophet's (may God bless him and grant

him peace) words, "All of you belong to one ancestry of Adam, and

Adam was created out of clay,"14 stress that there is no difference

between people. Skin color, social status and wealth confer no

superiority on anyone.

According to the Qur'an, one reason why different tribes,

peoples, and nations were created is so that they "might come to

know one another." All are servants of God and must come to

learn one another's different cultures, languages, customs and

abilities. One intent behind the existence of different nations and

races is cultural wealth, not war and conflict. All true believers

know that only godliness --in other words, the fear of God and

faith in Him--can impart superiority. As God has revealed in the

Qur'an (49:13):

Mankind! We created you from a male and female, andmade you into peoples and tribes so that you might cometo know each other. The noblest among you in God's sight

56

Racial and national differences between peopleare not an element of conflict, but a source of cul-

tural wealth.

57


is that one of you who best performs his duty. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

Elsewhere (30:22), He has revealed that:

Among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and earthand the variety of your languages and colors. There arecertainly Signs in that for every being.

History offers many examples of the faithful behaving withcomplete justice towards other peoples, helping Islam growwith unbelievable speed over a wide area, taking in NorthAfrica, the whole Middle East and even the Iberian Peninsula.By means of these conquests, the civility and tolerance of Islamicmorality was spread to many races, nations, communities andindividuals, bringing together millions in a bond of mutual tol-erance, the likes of which had never been seen before. Therenowned researcher Joel Augustus Rogers has examined thevarious races and the relationship between the black race andother countries. In his book Sex and Race, he describes Islam's in-fluence on the world in these terms:

One reason why Islam was able to survive so brightly forcenturies is the almost complete absence in this religion ofvalue-judgements based on race and class, the disregardingof the colour of an individual's skin or his social class andthe fact that promotion to the highest levels of a communityis based on ability alone… Islam established the greatestand at the same time the freest racial melting-pot in history,and the mixing of these races took place within the body ofthe most extensive empire the world has ever seen. At theheight of its power the Islamic Empire stretched from Spainand central France in the West to India, China and the

58

Pacific Ocean in the East, includingCentral Asia. The rulers of these ex-tensive territories were of variouscolours. The colour of peoples'skins was even less important forMuslims than the colours of theflowers in a garden is to the flowersthemselves.15

Professor Hamilton AlexanderRossken Gibb is one of the world's fore-most experts on Islam. In his book Whither Islam?, he describesthe Islamic view of other races:

No other society has such a record of success uniting in anequality of status, of opportunity, and of endeavors somany and so various races of mankind… Islam has still thepower to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements ofrace and tradition. If ever the opposition of the great soci-eties of East and West is to be replaced by cooperation, themediation of Islam is an indispensable condition.16

Islamic morality aims at a society built on brotherhood andpeace, freedom and security. That is why all communities thatcome into contact with Islam have given up their oppressive,cruel and aggressive ways and have, instead, built peaceful andcivilized societies. (For further details, see Justice and Tolerance inthe Qur'an by Harun Yahya.) In their works, many Western his-torians have documented Islam's deep and positive affects oncommunities that came into contact with it. In The Making ofHumanity, Professor Robert Briffault discusses the relationshipbetween Western society and Islam:


59

Joel Augustus Rogers


The ideas that inspired the French Revolution and theDeclaration of Rights, that guided the framing of theAmerican Constitution and inflamed that struggle for inde-pendence in the Latin American countries [and elsewhere]were not inventions of the West. They find their ultimate in-spiration and source in the Holy Quran.17

These extracts indicate how, down through the centuries,Islamic morality has taught people about peace, tolerance andjustice. Nowadays, nearly everyone is seeking just such a model,and there is no reason why such a culture should not come aboutonce again. All that is needed is people's desire to live by themorality of the Qur'an, starting with themselves and later, mak-ing efforts to convey it to others. When everyone, from the high-est ranks to the very lowest, begins to implement the moralitycommanded in the Qur'an, they will become just, compassion-ate, tolerant, full of love, respectful and forgiving. That, in turn,will bring peace to all of society.

The Muslim Should Use Soft Words to Call People to the Morality of IslamEvery Muslim has the duty to call others to the morality of

Islam, to inform them of the existence of God and the proofs ofHis creation. God Himself has revealed that responsibility inVerse 3: 104: "Let there be a community among you who call tothe good, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. They arethe ones who have success." He also reveals how that invitationis to be made:

Call [them] to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair

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admonition, and argue with them in the kindest way.Your Lord knows best who is misguided from His way,and He knows best who are guided. (16:125)

Correct and courteous words accompanied by forgivenessare better than charity followed by insulting words. Godis Rich Beyond Need, All-Forbearing. (2:263)

True believers know the importance of this responsibility,

described in Verse 3:114: "They believe in God and the LastDay, and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and competein doing good. They are among the righteous." Therefore, they

call on all those around them--friends, relatives, everyone they

can reach--to believe in God, fear Him, and display a proper

morality. This pleasing characteristic of Muslims is described in

Verse 9:71:

The men and women of the believers are friends of oneanother. They command what is right and forbid what iswrong, and perform prayer and pay charity tax, and obeyGod and His Messenger. They are the people on whom


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God will have mercy. God is Almighty, All-Wise.

From this verse, it's clear that all believers, throughout thecourse of their lives, are charged with explaining that propermorality, living by it themselves, recommending good deeds toothers and advising them to avoid evil. God commands believ-ers to use soft words, "Say to My servants that they should onlysay the best…" (17:53)

God describes good words and bad in this analogy in theQur'an (14:24-27):

Do you do not see how God makes a metaphor of a goodword: a good tree whose roots are firm and whosebranches are in heaven? It bears fruit regularly by itsLord's permission. God makes metaphors for people sothat hopefully they will be reminded. The metaphor of acorrupt word is that of a rotten tree, uprooted on the sur-face of the earth. It has no staying-power. God makesthose who believe firm with the Firm Word in the life ofthis world and the hereafter. But God misguides thewrongdoers. God does whatever He wills.

Anyone who wishes to lead a virtuous life should encour-age others toward virtue. Anyone who wants to see good shouldmake an effort to help spread it. Anyone who wants to see othersbehave according to their conscience should encourage them todo so, and anyone who opposes cruelty should warn those whoengage in it. In short, anyone who wants right to prevail shouldcall on all others to abide by it. When issuing that call, however,it's most important to keep in mind that only God can inspirepeople to become Muslims, and cause words pleasing to them to

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have any effect. God has revealed that our Prophet (may God

bless him and grant him peace), as a result of his noble character

and superior morality, always treated people well--and has rec-

ommended him as a role model for all mankind.

Islam Commands Solidarity and Cooperation Among PeopleIn the Qur'an (5:2), God has issued this command:

... help each other to goodness and godliness. Do not helpeach other to wrongdoing and enmity. Have fear of God.God is severe in retribution.

As that verse makes clear, the faithful struggle only for

what is good. They consider the words of God in Verse 4:127 of

the Qur'an: "Whatever good you do, God knows it." They never

forget that they will be recompensed for all they do in the sight

of our Lord, but God reveals that pleasing mutual aid needs to

be in a framework of "good and godliness." The meaning of

goodness is also explained in Verse 2:177:

It is not devoutness to turn your faces to the East or to theWest. Rather, those with true devoutness are those whobelieve in God and the Last Day, the Angels, the Book andthe Prophets, and who, despite their love for it, give awaytheir wealth to their relatives and to orphans and the verypoor, and to travelers and beggars, and to set slaves free,and who perform prayer and pay charity tax; those whohonor their contracts when they make them, and aresteadfast in poverty and illness and in battle. Those are


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NNoott ssoo!! AAllll wwhhoo ssuubbmmiitt tthheemmsseellvveess ccoomm--pplleetteellyy ttoo GGoodd aanndd wwhhoo ddoo ggoooodd wwiillll ffiinndd

tthheeiirr rreewwaarrdd wwiitthh tthheeiirr LLoorrdd.. TThheeyy wwiillllffeeeell nnoo ffeeaarr aanndd wwiillll kknnooww nnoo ssoorrrrooww..

((QQuurr''aann,, 22::111122))

GGoodd ddooeess nnoott wwrroonngg aannyyoonnee bbyy ssoo mmuucchhaass tthhee ssmmaalllleesstt ssppeecckk.. AAnndd iiff tthheerree iiss aaggoooodd ddeeeedd,, GGoodd wwiillll mmuullttiippllyy iitt aanndd ppaayyoouutt aann iimmmmeennssee rreewwaarrdd ddiirreecctt ffrroomm HHiimm..

((QQuurr''aann,, 44::4400))


the people who act loyal. They are the people who guardagainst evil.

True goodness, therefore, is rather different from the waysociety in general perceives it. Those who do not live by themorality of the Qur'an view good deeds as favors they confer,whenever they happen to feel like it. Usually they restrict suchgood deeds to giving money to a beggar, or giving up their seaton the bus to an elderly person.

Yet as we have seen from the above verse, the Qur'an de-scribes goodness as a concept encompassing the whole of a be-liever's life, as an obligation that must be fulfilled throughoutthe course of his life, not only when he feels like it or happens toremember it. As a servant, any Muslim possesses true sincerityand helps the poor and needy, even if he him-self is in need, even giving up the things he

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Qur'anic morality demands humility, tolerance,and kindness. Peace and security reign in soci-eties which live by these virtues.

loves (Qur'an, 76:8). In Verse 51:19, which reads, "And beggars

and the destitute received a due share of their wealth," God has

revealed that rendering assistance, helping others, and doing

good are all incumbent upon Muslims. They give help uncondi-

tionally; and believers are ready to make any sacrifice to encour-

age others towards what is good. They expect nothing in return,

apart from winning the pleasure of God. In Verse 76:9-10, God

describes such behavior by believers:

We feed you only out of desire for the Face of God. We do

not want any repayment from you nor any thanks. Truly

We fear from our Lord a glowering, calamitous Day.

Muslims know that God is the Lord of infinite justice, and

never forget that their good behavior will be suitably rewarded

in the hereafter. Nor do they forget that life in this world is only

temporary, and that their true home lies in the sight of God. In

the Qur'an, He warns people of their inevitable end, and calls on

them all to behave in a manner pleasing to Him:

We did not create the heavens and earth and everything

between them, except with truth. The Hour is certainly

coming, so turn away graciously. (15:85)

Worship God and do not associate anything with Him. Be

good to your parents and relatives and to orphans and the

very poor, and to neighbors who are related to you and

neighbors who are not related to you, and to companions

and travelers and your slaves. God does not love anyone

vain or boastful. (4:36)

The recompense for those who exhibit pleasing behavior is


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of great good news for all of mankind, and is revealed in theseverses, in these terms:

But as for those who believe and do right actions, We willnot let the wage of good-doers go to waste. (50:30)

When those who have done their duty are asked, "Whathas your Lord sent down?" their reply is, "Good!" There isgood in this world for those who do good, and the abodeof the hereafter is even better. How wonderful is theabode of those who guard against evil: Gardens of Edenwhich they enter, with rivers flowing under them, wherethey have whatever they desire. That is how God repaysthose who guard against evil. (16:30-31)

Islam Commands Us to Do Good and Avoid EvilBelievers learn the true meaning of good and evil from the

Qur'an, a book revealed by God as the Standard by which to dis-cern the true from the false." Concepts such as good and bad,right and wrong, are elucidated in the Qur'an with examplesthat everyone can understand. The faithful's fear of God givesthem light and understanding to help them distinguish betweengood and bad. (8:29)

Muslims spend their whole lives implementing theirawareness of the good and evil, as described in the Qur'an. Yetthey take another important responsibility onto their shoulders:inviting others to see the truth, to avoid evil, and live by themorality of the Qur'an. Believers spend their lives telling peopleabout the difference between good and evil, because to the faith-

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ful, God has given the following command (3:104):

Let there be a community among you who call to thegood, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. Theyare the ones who have success.

In Verse 3:110, God stresses how those who abide by this

commandment are much more auspicious than others:

You are the best nation ever to be produced beforemankind. You enjoin the right, forbid the wrong and be-lieve in God. If the People of the Book were to believe, itwould be better for them. Some of them are believers, butmost of them are deviators.

The faithful perform that Qur'anic duty not only in respect

for those ignorant of the difference between right and wrong

and with no knowledge of religion, but also in respect for the

faithful themselves. People fall into error not only out of igno-

rance, but sometimes out of forgetfulness, by mistake, or when

driven by earthly desires. That being so, the faithful encourage

good and prevent evil by reminding one another of the Qur'an's

commandments. They warn each other that in this world, those

who fail to avoid evil will suffer the torments of hell; that only

those who do good and devoutly carry out their religious oblig-

ations will be rewarded with Paradise. That delightful responsi-

bility means that they never need feel wearied or discouraged

while continuing to warn others compassionately and affection-

ately, no matter what mistakes they might have made. In many

verses, God reveals that He loves those who have patience, and

calls on the faithful to be patient when practicing the morality of


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the Qur'an:

You who believe! Seek help in steadfastness and prayer.God is with the steadfast. (2:153)

… Those who are steadfast and do right actions. They willreceive forgiveness and a large reward. (11:11)

Islam Commands us to Repay Evil with GoodA good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel thebad with something better and, if there is enmity betweenyou and someone else, he will be like a bosom friend.(41:34)

Ward off evil with what is better. We know very well whatthey express. (23:96)

In these verses, God promises the faithful that they can se-cure positive results, so long as they adopt a pleasant attitude inthe face of wrongdoing. The Qur'an emphasizes that even whena believer is dealing with an enemy, still he can establish a warmfriendship. Responding to evil with good is also an essential partof compassion. When any believer sees others adopting an atti-tude that will not be pleasing to God, he considers first of allhow that will affect them in the hereafter. Then he approachesthem with toleration and humility, refusing to let himself be-come puffed up with pride.

Over the course of their lives, believers may come acrosspeople of very different characters. Yet they will not change theirview of morality according to the people they meet. Others mayspeak mockingly, use ugly words, become angry, or even behave

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TThhoossee wwhhoo pprroodduuccee aa ggooooddaaccttiioonn wwiillll rreecceeiivvee tteenn lliikkee iitt..BBuutt tthhoossee wwhhoo pprroodduuccee aa bbaadd

aaccttiioonn wwiillll bbee rreeppaaiidd oonnllyywwiitthh iittss eeqquuiivvaalleenntt aanndd tthheeyywwiillll nnoott bbee ttrreeaatteedd uunnjjuussttllyy..

((QQuurr''aann,, 66::116600))


in a hostile manner. Yet the true believer never ceases to be po-lite, modest, and compassionate. He will not respond to uglywords with more of the same. He will not laugh at those whomock him, nor answer anger with anger, but remains patientand tolerant. In the face of insulting behavior, he will respondwith proper morality, and with such compassion that the otherwill feel ashamed.

That is the morality our Prophet (may God bless him andgrant him peace) recommends to us. In one of the hadiths, hesays, "You do not return evil for evil, but excuse and forgive."-- 18 Inanother hadith, he calls on the faithful in these terms: "None ofyou must be the kind of weak person who says, 'He who has no com-passion will receive none.' "19

In the Qur'an (5:13), our Prophet (may God bless him andgrant him peace) was told to be forgiving when betrayed bysome of the children of Israel:

… They have forgotten a good portion of what they werereminded of. You will never cease to come upon some actof treachery on their part, except for a few of them. Yetpardon them, and overlook. God loves good-doers.

As this verse shows, poor morality displayed by someoneelse is no justification for displaying the same thing. Each indi-vidual is solely responsible to God for his actions. According tothe Qur'an, acting with compassion, affection and proper moral-ity in the face of someone else's bad behavior is a sign of superiormorality that reveals the extent of a believer's devotion to God.One verse (10:26) reveals the reward that such a pleasing atti-tude will bring:

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Those who do good will have the best, and more! Neitherdust nor debasement will darken their faces. They are theCompanions of the Garden, remaining in it timelessly,forever.

Islam Commands The Faithful to be Forgiving, AlwaysOne important sign of compassion is a person's ability to

forgive. In Verse 7:199, God calls upon His servants to "make al-lowances for people, command what is right, and turn awayfrom the ignorant."

Some may find this attitude difficult, but in the sight of

God, it will be well rewarded. Those caught up in anger may

well refuse to forgive mistakes. But to the faithful, God has re-

vealed that it is better to forgive and, in Verse 26:40, has recom-

mended this morality:

The repayment of a bad action is one equivalent to it. Butif someone pardons and puts things right, his reward iswith God...

In another verse (26:43), God reveals, "But if someone issteadfast and forgives, that is the most resolute course to fol-low." Verse 24:22 emphasizes that this is a very superior form of

morality:

Those of you possessing affluence and ample wealth

should not make oaths that they will not give to their relatives

and the very poor and those who have emigrated in the way of

God. They should rather pardon and overlook. Would you not

love God to forgive you? God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful."


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In these words, He encourages the faithful to consider theirown positions when it comes to forgiveness. Because everyonewants God to forgive him, to protect and show him mercy, so dowe hope that all others will excuse and forgive our mistakes.Therefore, God has commanded the faithful to treat others in thesame way they would like to be treated themselves. That impor-tant responsibility encourages the faithful to be forgiving to-wards one another. Our Prophet (may God bless him and granthim peace) encouraged them in these words: "That person is near-est to God, who pardons, when he has someone in his power, one whowould have injured him."20

Believers, knowing that at any moment they may make amistake, behave tolerantly towards others. Those verses in theQur'an dealing with repentance make it clear that never makingmistakes isn't as important as the determination never to repeatthem. One of these verses (4:17) reads:

God accepts only the repentance of those who do evil inignorance and then quickly repent after doing it. Godturns towards such people. God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Under conditions that reveal an individual's sincerity, thefaithful behave forgivingly and compassionately towards oneanother. If he who has committed error sincerely repents havingdone so, they cannot judge him for his past deeds. Even whenthe faithful are totally in the right and the other completely in thewrong, still they have no compunction about forgiveness, be-cause God recommends such behavior as an example of propermorality (3:134):

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AAnnyyoonnee wwhhoo aaccttss rriigghhttllyy,, mmaallee oorr

ffeemmaallee,, bbeeiinngg aa bbeelliieevveerr,, WWee wwiillll

ggiivvee tthheemm aa ggoooodd lliiffee aanndd WWee wwiillll

rreeccoommppeennssee tthheemm aaccccoorrddiinngg ttoo

tthhee bbeesstt ooff wwhhaatt tthheeyy ddiidd..

((QQuurr''aann,, 1166::9977))


Those who give in times of both ease and hardship, thosewho control their rage and pardon other people--Godloves the good-doers.

When it comes to forgiving, the faithful don't distinguishbetween great and small errors, nor do they tailor their view offorgiveness accordingly. Someone may have committed an errorinflicting severe harm on others, great financial loss, even loss oflife. Yet the faithful know everything happens by the permissionof God, as part of His destiny. When it comes to such things, theytherefore place themselves in the hands of God and feel no per-sonal anger.

Alternatively, if someone transgresses this Qur'anic ruleand exceeds the bounds set by God, only God can judge that per-son's behavior. It is never up to the faithful to judge--or refuse toforgive--anyone on any matter. The truly sorry and repentantperson will have his reward only in the sight of God. In manyverses, God has revealed that apart from "associating partners toHim," He will forgive the errors of the faithful who repent sin-cerely. Since one man cannot know another's repentance, thefaithful simply forgive in the manner God revealed to them. Ifthe Qur'an has anything to say on a particular subject, they treatthe person who has committed error in that light.

IIssllaamm CCoommmmaannddss PPeeooppllee TToo BBeehhaavvee GGeennttllyy

God has infinite compassion, and is forgiving, protectiveand gentle toward believers. The Compassionate and Mercifulhas placed all the blessings in the universe at Man's disposal,supporting him with messengers to reveal the true path. He di-

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rects all men to be His sincere servants by means of His revela-tions, each of which is a guidepost to that path. Our Lord is theHalim (the Clement), Adl (Lord of Infinite Justice), 'Afuw (thePardoner), Asim (the Protector), Barr (the Source of AllGoodness), Ghafir (the Forgiver), Hafiz (the Protector), Karim (theGenerous One), Latif (the Subtle One), Muhsin (Lord of InfiniteKindness), Ra'uf (the Compassionate), Salam (the Author ofSafety), Tawwab (the Accepter of Repentance) and Wahhab (theBestower).

Believers know that they are under our Lord's protectionand are aware of His infinite goodness and kindness. For thatreason, they are eager to become the kind of servants that arepleasing to Him, who merit His mercy, and Paradise. As we haveseen, one characteristic distinguishing believers is they are fullof love and compassion. A Muslim behaves very gently, alwaystreating others kindly. God has offered our Prophet's (may Godbless him and grant him peace) gentle nature as an example toall believers (3:159):

It is a mercy from God that you were gentle with them. Ifyou had been rough or hard of heart, they would havescattered from around you. So pardon them and ask for-giveness for them, and consult with them about the mat-ter. Then when you have reached a firm decision, put yourtrust in God. God loves those who put their trust in Him.

That verse describes how our Prophet's (may God bless himand grant him peace) gentle, moral nature exerted a positive in-fluence on people, whereby they grew even more devoted tohim. The Qur'an gives the gentle natures of other loving


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prophets as role models. One verse (11:87) recounts how, whenthe Prophet Shuayb (peace be upon him) was sent to the peopleof Midian, they told him, "... You are clearly the forbearing, therightly-guided!" The superior morality of the Prophet Abraham(peace be upon him) is another example for everyone. TheQur'an tells us that he was sensitive, gentle and full of love. Theverses in question read:

Abraham would not have asked forgiveness for his fa-ther, but for a promise he made to him, and when it be-came clear to him that he was an enemy of God, herenounced him. Abraham was tenderhearted and forbear-ing. (9:114)

Abraham was forbearing, compassionate, penitent.(11:75)

God has commanded his believers always to behave in apleasant manner, to speak kindly, and to treat others well. His

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AAnndd bbee sstteeaaddffaasstt.. GGoodd ddooeess nnoott lleetttthhee wwaaggee ooff ggoooodd--ddooeerrss ggoo ttoo

wwaassttee.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 1111::111155))

prophets behaved accordingly. For example, when the Prophet

Musa (Moses) (peace be upon him) was about to go to Pharaoh,

one of the most repressive and cruel rulers of all times, God

called on Moses in these terms (20:42-44):

Go, you and your brother, with My Signs, and do notslacken in remembering Me. Go to Pharaoh; he has over-stepped the bounds. But speak to him with gentle wordsso that hopefully, he will be reminded or show some fear.

These verses are an important reminder that everyone has a

duty to live by the morality that the Qur'an reveals, and to adopt

the morality of the prophets. The Qur'an proposes the following

ideals for mankind: Love to all creatures God created; being kind

and gentle in the best possible ways; always favoring compro-

mise and tolerance; never speaking harshly, even under the most

trying circumstances; making sacrifices happily and willingly;

always desiring and seeking the best for others; pushing one's


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BBuutt iiff ssoommeeoonnee iiss sstteeaaddffaasstt aannddffoorrggiivveess,, tthhaatt iiss tthhee mmoosstt rreessoolluutteeccoouurrssee ttoo ffoollllooww.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 4422::4433))


own personal desires to the background; wishing for others ex-actly what one wishes for oneself; being always quick to offer as-sistance in cases of need; and rejecting all forms of cruelty. That,no doubt, is exactly the ethical model that mankind is searchingfor.

Islam Supports Freedom of BeliefIn matters of belief, Islam offers people complete freedom,

and in the very clearest language. That has been so ever sinceIslam was first revealed, and forms the basis of today's Islamicmorality. The verses on the subject (2:256) are perfectly clear:

There is no compulsion where religion is concerned.Right guidance has become clearly distinct from error.Anyone who rejects false gods and believes in God hasgrasped the Firmest Handhold, which will never giveway. God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

According to Islam, people are free to choose whatever be-liefs they wish, and nobody can oblige anyone else. Yes, aMuslim has a duty to communicate Islam and explain the exis-tence of God, to state that the Qur'an is the book of His revela-tion, that the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him andgrant him peace) was His messenger, to speak of the hereafterand the Day of Judgment and of the beauty of Islamic morality.Yet that duty is restricted to explaining the religion only. In oneverse (16:125), God informs our Prophet (may God bless himand grant him peace) that he is only a messenger:

Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admo-

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CCoorrrreecctt aanndd ccoouurrtteeoouuss wwoorrddssaaccccoommppaanniieedd bbyy ffoorrggiivveenneessss

aarree bbeetttteerr tthhaann cchhaarriittyy ffoolllloowweeddbbyy iinnssuullttiinngg wwoorrddss.. GGoodd iiss RRiicchhBBeeyyoonndd NNeeeedd,, AAllll--FFoorrbbeeaarriinngg..

((QQuurr''aann,, 22::226633))


nition, and argue with them in the kindest way. Your Lordknows best who is misguided from His way. And Heknows best who are guided.

Another verse (18:29) states, "... It is the truth from yourLord; so let whoever wishes believe and whoever wishes dis-believe..." In Verse 26:3, our Lord warns the Prophet (may Godbless him and grant him peace), "Perhaps you will destroyyourself with grief because they will not become believers."He also issues His Prophet (may God bless him and grant himpeace) this reminder (50:45):

We know best what they say. You are not a dictator overthem. So remind, with the Qur'an, whoever fears MyThreat.

People are free to choose correctly or wrongly. When Islam--the true path that God has revealed--is explained, they come tobelieve of their own free will, reaching this decision with nopressure being put on them. If they make wrong choices, theywill face its consequences in the hereafter. On this subject, Verse10: 99 of the Qur'an contains the clearest command and re-minder: "If your Lord had willed, all the people on the earthwould have believed. Do you think you can force people to bebelievers?"

When one of the faithful explains matters, one personmight come to believe straightaway, whereas another mightadopt a mocking and aggressive attitude. One who follows hisconscience might decide to devote his life to pleasing God, evenwhile another, doing as the deniers did, might respond to thosesame kind words with wickedness. Yet his denial won't lead

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whoever issued the invitation to suffer or despair. In Verses 12:103-104, God has stated, "But most people, for all your eager-ness, are not believers. You do not ask them for any wage for it.It is only a reminder to all beings."

What's important is that no matter what reaction he meetswith, the person who abides by the Qur'an keeps on displayingthe kind of morality that is pleasing to God, refuses to make anyconcessions on it, and leaves matters in God's hands. God hastold us that His religion is to be explained in the most pleasingmanner. In the words of the Qur'an (29:46):

Argue with the People of the Book only in the kindestway--except in the case of those of them who dowrong–saying, "We believe in what has been sent down tous and what was sent down to you. Our God and yourGod are one and we submit to Him."

We must not forget that every event, large or small, takesplace according to a destiny created by God. He reveals the truepath to anyone invited to believe in Him. For that reason, thefaithful feel no distress at the behavior of those who reject Him.The Qur'an gives several examples. In Verse 18:6, God tells ourProphet (may God bless him and grant him peace) not to be dis-tressed when those whom he calls on to believe refuse to do so:"Perhaps you may destroy yourself with grief, chasing afterthem, if they do not believe in these words." Another verse(28:56) reads, "You cannot guide those you would like to, butGod guides those He wills. He has best knowledge of theguided."

That means that whatever invitations an individual issues,


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IIff yyoouurr LLoorrdd hhaadd wwiilllleedd,, aalllltthhee ppeeooppllee oonn tthhee eeaarrtthh

wwoouulldd hhaavvee bbeelliieevveedd.. DDoo yyoouutthhiinnkk yyoouu ccaann ffoorrccee ppeeooppllee

ttoo bbee bbeelliieevveerrss?? ((QQuurr''aann,, 1100::9999))

SSoo rreemmiinndd tthheemm!! YYoouu aarreeoonnllyy aa rreemmiinnddeerr..

YYoouu aarree nnoott iinn ccoonnttrrooll ooff tthheemm..

((QQuurr''aann,, 8888::2211--2222))


all his pleasant words, and every detail he goes into can make aneffect only by the will of God.

A believer's only responsibility is to call people to theQur'an. He cannot be blamed for atheists' refusal to amend theirways, nor with how they will earn the torments of hell for them-selves. In Verse 2:119, our Lord told our Prophet (may God blesshim and grant him peace), "We have sent you with the Truth,bringing good news and giving warning. Do not ask about theinhabitants of the Blazing Fire."

God has given mankind both reason and a conscience. Hismessengers and the divine books revealed to them have shownthe true path, and people are responsible for their own choices.Islamic morality can be lived only by a sincere decision to doso—by surrendering oneself to God and listening to one's con-science, which always commands one to do what is right. It is atotal violation of Islamic morality to force anyone to believe, be-cause what matters is an individual's surrendering himself toGod with all his heart and believing sincerely. If any systemobliges people to have faith, then those "converts" will becomereligious only out of fear. The only acceptable way to live a reli-gion is within an environment that leaves one's conscience com-pletely free. This is what God revealed to our Prophet (may Godbless him and grant him peace) (88:21-26):

So remind them! You are only a reminder. You are not incontrol of them. But as for anyone who turns away anddisbelieves, God will punish him with the GreatestPunishment. Certainly it is to Us they will return Thentheir Reckoning is Our concern.

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It's worth emphasizing that Islam leaves people free to

make their own choices regarding religion and commands them

to respect other religions. Even if someone believes in what the

Qur'an describes as superstition, still he can live in peace and se-

curity in Muslim lands and freely perform his own religious

obligations. In Verses 109:2-6, God commanded our Prophet

(may God bless him and grant him peace) to tell those who de-

nied Him:

"I do not worship what you worship, and you do not wor-ship what I worship. Nor will I worship what you wor-ship, nor will you worship what I worship. You have yourreligion, and I have my religion."

Under the morality of Islam, everyone is free to carry out

the obligations in accord with his own particular belief. Nobody

can prevent any others from performing their particular reli-

gious duties, nor can he oblige them to worship in the manner he

desires. That violates the morality of Islam, and is unacceptable

to God. In the Islamic model of society emerges in which every-

one is free to worship and perform the obligations attendant

upon his particular chosen beliefs. The Qur'an (22:40) describes

monasteries, churches, synagogues, and the places of worship of

the Peoples of the Book as all under God's protection:

... If God had not driven some people back by means ofothers, [then] monasteries, churches, synagogues andmosques, where God's name is mentioned much, wouldhave been pulled down and destroyed. God will certainlyhelp those who help Him—God is All-Strong, Almighty.


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WWhhoo ccoouulldd ssaayy aannyytthhiinngg bbeetttteerr tthhaannssoommeeoonnee wwhhoo ssuummmmoonnss ttoo GGoodd aanndd

aaccttss rriigghhttllyy aanndd ssaayyss,, ''II aamm oonnee ooff tthheeMMuusslliimmss??'' ((QQuurr''aann,, 4411::3333))

Our Prophet's (may God bless him and grant him peace)life is full of such examples. When Christians came to see himpray in his own mosque, he left it for them to use. 21That kind oftolerance was maintained during the times of the caliphs whosucceeded the Prophet (may God bless him and grant himpeace). After Damascus was captured, a church that had beenturned into a mosque was divided into two, so that Christiansmight worship in one half and Muslims in the other.22

Islam Commands That Oppression Be AbolishedMuslims should never remain silent in the face of oppres-

sion that they witness, or even hear about secondhand. Theircompassion, stemming from the morality of the Qur'an, directsthem to oppose all tyranny, wickedness and oppression, to de-fend the oppressed, to wage a war of ideas on their behalf.Whether dealing with their closest friends or with strangers withwhom they share no interests in common, they behave in a man-ner determined to prevent any such oppression. Rather, theyseize on this opportunity to win the good pleasure of God andimplement the morality of the Qur'an. Because a believer's con-science is so very sensitive, his compassion never lets him turn ablind eye to the slightest injustice or cruelty. He will take hisplace in the vanguard of that morality by avoiding any actionsthat might be unfair to or oppress anyone else. Whenever he seesanyone else behaving that way, his conscience gives him nopeace until he's done everything possible to right matters. Truecompassion has no room for forgetting about oppression, ignor-


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ing it or underestimating it.

The ignorant seldom act until oppression stands at their

very own doorstep. This stems from their forgetting or denying

that in the hereafter, they will be brought face to face with all the

good and bad deeds that they encountered in this world. But the

faithful, well aware of this, will treat even total strangers he has

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never met with great compassion and seeks to rescue them from

oppression. Even if no one else supports him, he will muster all

his strength to forestall wickedness. Even though the majority

may behave differently, their lack of conscience never rubs off on

the true believer. In the hereafter, Muslims know, they will be

called to account for what they did to prevent evil. They won't

be able to get away with excuses like, "I didn't see it," or, "I didn't

hear it," or "I never knew what was going on."

As is revealed in the Qur'an (19:80), "... he [man] will come

to Us all alone," every human being will return to his Creator

on his own. People will be brought into the presence of God, put

to the trial, and called to account for their deeds in this world.

Only those who followed the dictates of their conscience will

come out of that questioning at all well. Those who have be-

haved well, opposed all forms of cruelty, fought evil, and re-

mained on the path of God can expect a suitable reward. God

mentions this matter in another verse (2:112):

All who submit themselves completely to God and are

good-doers will find their reward with their Lord. They

will feel no fear and will know no sorrow.


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he preceding section considered the Qur'an's callsfor people to live in love and security, emphasizing

that Islam is a religion of peace. Like other divine religions,Islam proposes a model society of compassionate, mature,moderate, mild, gentle, kind, sympathetic, loyal, understand-ing, forgiving and tolerant people who avoid fighting and con-flict. It also commands believers to strive to bring such asociety about.

Divine books revealed before the Qur'an may have under-gone a number of distortions, but they still contain sectionsthat agree with it. These books are the Torah and the Gospels.Today, although mixed with human words and thus distorted,they make up the core of what is called the Bible. The Bible'stwo basic parts, the Old and the New Testaments, are based onthe Torah and the Gospels relatively, including many otherbooks and letters. Both the Old and New Testaments favorlove, peace and tolerance, also prohibiting terror and oppres-sion. In this section, we'll consider how Jews and Christiansfrom all over the world must take action in light of these com-mands to oppose terrorism.

The Old Testament consists of five books comprising theTorah given to the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), theBook of Psalms, and other writings by Jewish prophets and ac-counts of their lives. Jews believe in the Old Testament.Christians also believe in the New Testament, an addition tothe Old, which consists of the four gospels, the Acts of theApostles following Jesus's death, and a number of letters.

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According to the Qur'an, however, the divine books of the

Bible were distorted after being revealed to mankind. That

means that both the Old and New Testaments are no longer the

uncorrupted word of God. We should regard them as contain-

ing divine elements that agree with the Qur'an, but also vari-

ous human errors. When making use of the Old and New

Testaments, therefore, we need to consider whether their con-

tents are in harmony with the Qur'an.


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SSTTAATTEESSMMEENNTTSS FFRROOMM TTHHEE OOLLDD TTEESSTTAAMMEENNTTCCOOMMDDEEMMNNIINNGG TTEERRRROORR AANNDD EENNCCOOUURRAAGGIINNGGLLOOVVEE AANNDD PPEEAACCEE

Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the LordGod of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken.

Hate evil, love good… (Amos 5, 14-15)

As emphasized earlier, the divine books sent down byGod to guide His servants describe an ideal society full of love,peace, tolerance and justice. In the Qur'an, for example, Goddescribes the Torah revealed to the Jews as a guide:

We sent down the Torah containing guidance and light,and the prophets who had submitted themselves gave judg-ment by it for the Jews--as did their scholars and their rabbis–-by what they had been allowed to preserve of God's Book towhich they were witnesses... (5:44)

Today, we can find part of the Torah's divine command-ments in the Old Testament, directing people to avoid evil,tyranny, theft, corruption, falsehood and cruelty; and to dis-play proper morality. In fact, God states in the Qur'an that:

He [God] said, "Moses, I have chosen you over allmankind for My Message and My Word. Take what Ihave given you and be among the thankful." We wroteabout everything for him on the Tablets as an admoni-tion and making all things clear. "Seize hold of it vigor-ously and command your people to adopt the best in it. Iwill show you the home of the deviators!" (7:144-145)

A Call to Peace: Tolerance and Proper Morality in the Old and New Testaments

95


AALLLL FFOORRMMSS OOFF VVIIOOLLEENNCCEE AANNDD OOPPPPRREESSSSIIOONN AARREE FFOORRBBIIDDDDEENN

The Old Testament describes in considerable detail thefate awaiting those who commit evil and want to spread it, andwarns people against going down that road. Flying into a rageand harming others, trying to turn them away from the truepath, shedding blood and quarrelling are all described asforms of behavior displeasing to God, which He has forbidden.He condemns all those who go down the path of evil and op-pression, revealing that such people will never be saved. SomeOld Testament accounts emphasize this:

Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty arein their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their coun-cil; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for intheir anger they slew a man, and in their self-will theyhamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;and their wrath, for it is cruel! (Genesis 49, 5-7)

But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannotrest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. "There is nopeace," says my God, "for the wicked." (Isaiah 57, 20-21)

You children of Israel... "There is no truth or mercy orknowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying,killing and stealing and committing adultery, they breakall restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed. Thereforethe land will mourn; and everyone who dwells there willwaste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of theair; even the fish of the sea will be taken away. " Now letno man contend, or rebuke another; for your people are

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like those who contend with the priest. (Hosea 4, 1-4)

Gilead is a city of evildoers and defiled with blood. As

bands of robbers lie in wait for a man, so the company of

priests murder on the way to Shechem; surely they com-

mit lewdness. (Hosea 6, 8-9)

The merciful man does good for his own soul, but he who

is cruel troubles his own flesh... But he who sows right-

eousness will have a sure reward. As righteousness leads

to life, so he who pursues evil pursues it to his own

death... The wicked will not go unpunished; but the pos-

terity of the righteous will be delivered. (Proverbs 11, 17-

21)

An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips like a

burning fire. A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer

separates the best of friends. A violent man entices his

neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good... He


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who is slow to anger is better than the mighty. . . (Proverbs16, 27-32)

The Lord is far from the wicked... (Proverbs 15, 29)

The Old Testament describes in considerable de-tail the deeds of people who did evil and

acted tyrannically,making it clear

that the wickedwill receive their

just deserts. But italso states that

those who repentwill be accepted as good, if they abide by God's

religion:

Yet the house of Israel says, "The way of the Lord is notfair." O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair,and your ways which are not fair? When a righteous manturns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, anddies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has donethat he dies. Again, when a wicked man turns away fromthe wickedness which he committed, and does what islawful and right, he preserves himself alive. Because heconsiders and turns away from all the transgressionswhich he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.Yet the house of Israel says, "The way of the Lord is notfair." O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair,and your ways which are not fair? Therefore I will judgeyou, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,"

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says the Lord God. "Repent, and turn from all your trans-gressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast awayfrom you all the transgressions which you have commit-ted, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Forwhy should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no plea-sure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord God."Therefore turn and live!" (Ezekiel 18, 21-32)

... Thus says the Lord: "... I am fashioning a disaster anddevising a plan against you. Return now every one fromhis evil way, and make your ways and your doings good."And they said, "That is hopeless! So we will walk accord-ing to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dic-tates of his evil heart." (Jeremiah 18, 11-12)

Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophetspreached, saying, "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Turn nowfrom your evil ways and your evil deeds.'" But they didnot hear nor heed Me," says the Lord. (Zechariah 1, 4)

IITT IISS FFOORRBBIIDDDDEENN TTOO HHAARRMM OOTTHHEERRSSMany Old Testament commandments prohibit doing

harm to others, killing, ruling without justice, or behaving un-fairly.

You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. Youshall not steal. You shall not bear false witness againstyour neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbour'shouse… (Exodus 20, 13-17)

You shall do no injustice in judgment … nor honor theperson of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge


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HHee hhaass sseenntt ddoowwnn tthhee BBooookk ttoo yyoouu wwiitthhttrruutthh,, ccoonnffiirrmmiinngg wwhhaatt wwaass tthheerree bbeeffoorree iitt..

AAnndd HHee sseenntt ddoowwnn tthhee TToorraahh aanndd tthheeGGoossppeell,, pprreevviioouussllyy,, aass gguuiiddaannccee ffoorrmmaannkkiinndd,, aanndd HHee hhaass sseenntt ddoowwnn tthhee

FFuurrqqaann.. TThhoossee wwhhoo rreejjeecctt GGoodd''ss SSiiggnnsswwiillll hhaavvee aa tteerrrriibbllee ppuunniisshhmmeenntt.. GGoodd iiss

AAllmmiigghhttyy,, EExxaaccttoorr ooff RReevveennggee.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 33::33--44))

your neighbor. You shall not go about as a talebeareramong your people; nor shall you take a stand against thelife of your neighbor: I am the Lord... You shall not takevengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children ofyour people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself:I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19, 15-18)

Lest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your landwhich the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance,and thus guilt of bloodshed be upon you. (Deuteronomy19, 10)

Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and holdback those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, "Surelywe did not know this," Does not He who weighs thehearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He notknow it?.. (Proverbs 24, 11-12)

BBEE GGOOOODD TTOO OOTTHHEERRSS

The Old Testament contains a number ofstatements commanding brotherhood andlove, sacrifice and humility. Just likeMuslims, the Jews and Christians havebeen ordered to treat others well, todo good deeds, never to deviatefrom the path of righteousness,and to be mild-mannered, toler-


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ant and forgiving. Some examples include:

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy... Youhave plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. Youhave eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in yourown way, in the multitude of your mighty men... (Hosea10, 12-13)

They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, and they abhorthe one who speaks uprightly. Therefore, because youtread down the poor and take grain taxes from him,though you have built houses of hewn stone, yet you shallnot dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards,but you shall not drink wine from them. For I know yourmanifold transgressions and your mighty sins: Afflictingthe just and taking bribes; diverting the poor from justiceat the gate. Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time,for it is an evil time. Seek good and not evil, that you maylive; so the Lord God of hosts will be with you, as youhave spoken. Hate evil, love good; establish justice in thegate... (Amos 5, 10-15)

PPEEOOPPLLEE AARREE IINNVVIITTEEDD TTOO CCOONNDDUUCCTT TTHHEEMMSSEELLVVEESS WWEELLLL

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what doesthe Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and

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Just like Christians and Moslims,Jews have a duty to behave welltowards others and to do good.

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to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6, 8)

How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality tothe wicked?.. Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice tothe afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; freethem from the hand of the wicked. (Psalms 82, 2-4)

The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the per-versity of the unfaithful will destroy them. Riches do notprofit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers fromdeath. The righteousness of the blameless [man] will di-rect his way aright, but the wicked will fall by his ownwickedness. The righteousness of the upright will deliverthem, but the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.(Proverbs 11, 3-6)

The desire of the righteous is only good, but the expecta-tion of the wicked is wrath. (Proverbs 11, 23)

He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, but trouble willcome to him who seeks evil. (Proverbs 11, 27)

The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, butHe loves him who follows righteousness. (Proverbs 15, 9)

In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity;and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil. When aman's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies tobe at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness,than vast revenues without justice. (Proverbs 16, 6-8)

The highway of the upright is to depart from evil...(Proverbs 16, 17)

Do not be envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them;

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WWhheetthheerr yyoouu rreevveeaall aa ggoooodd aaccttoorr kkeeeepp iitt hhiiddddeenn,, oorr ppaarrddoonn aanneevviill aacctt,, GGoodd iiss EEvveerr--PPaarrddoonniinngg,,

AAllll--PPoowweerrffuull.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 44::114499))


for their heart devises violence, and their lips talk of trou-blemaking. (Proverbs 24, 1-2)

Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling ofthe righteous; do not plunder his resting place; for a right-eous man may fall seven times and rise again, but thewicked shall fall by calamity. Do not rejoice when yourenemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when hestumbles; lest the Lord see it... Do not fret because of evil-doers, nor be envious of the wicked; for there will be noprospect for the evil man… (Proverbs 24, 15-20)

MMAANN IISS CCOOMMMMAANNDDEEDD TTOO BBEE OONN TTHHEE SSIIDDEE OOFF PPEEAACCEE

Just like Muslims, Jews and Christians are commanded toavoid war and in particular, to establish peace. The bookHristiyan Ahlaki (Christian Morality) describes the kind of be-havior a Christian should display, according to the Old andNew Testaments, and sums this situation up in these terms:"The conflicts mentioned in the Holy Book are for the purposesof self-defense."23 It is forbidden to harm non-combatants, likechildren in the event of war.

Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was estab-lished in his hand, that he executed his servants who hadmurdered his father the king. But the children of the mur-derers he did not execute, according to what is written inthe Book of the Law of Moses, in which the Lord com-manded, saying, "Fathers shall not be put to death fortheir children, nor shall children be put to death for theirfathers..." ... (2 Kings 14, 5-6)

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Jews, Christians and Muslims who live by the moral-ity commanded by God can live together in peaceand security.


WWHHEENN TTHHEE MMOORRAALLIITTYY OOFF RREELLIIGGIIOONN PPRREEVVAAIILLSS,,AACCCCOORRDDIINNGG TTOO TTHHEE OOLLDD TTEESSTTAAMMEENNTT

In the same way as Islam, Judaism and Christianity pro-pose an exemplary model for society. With their strong faith,proper morality and the scrupulous adherence to His verses,the messengers whom God sent as guides to Man are the veryfinest examples. For this reason, it's most important for believ-ers to try to adopt the prophets' morality of as their own, and tolive similarly. If features of religion's proper morality canspread throughout all mankind, the resulting atmosphere willclosely resemble heaven. In such a society, the nightmares ofanarchy and terror will disappear. Scrupulous adhering toGod's commands, those who fear and believe in Him will ea-gerly avoid all forms of wickedness and mischief. The worldwill come to be filled with peace and tolerance, moderate andunderstanding people. The Old Testament describes with anumber of examples the life style, once the morality of religionprevails:

Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteous-ness remain in the fruitful field. The work of righteous-ness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness,quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell ina peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quietresting places. (Isaiah 32, 16-18)

The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them,and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shallblossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy andsinging… They shall see the glory of the Lord, the excel-lency of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make

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AAmmoonngg tthhee ppeeooppllee ooff tthhee BBooookk,, tthheerreeaarree ssoommee wwhhoo bbeelliieevvee iinn GGoodd aanndd iinnwwhhaatt hhaass bbeeeenn sseenntt ddoowwnn ttoo yyoouu aanndd

wwhhaatt wwaass sseenntt ddoowwnn ttoo tthheemm,, aannddwwhhoo aarree hhuummbbllee bbeeffoorree GGoodd.. TThheeyy ddoo

nnoott sseellll GGoodd''ss SSiiggnnss ffoorr aa ppaallttrryypprriiccee.. SSuucchh ppeeooppllee wwiillll hhaavvee tthheeiirr

rreewwaarrdd wwiitthh tthheeiirr LLoorrdd…… ((QQuurr''aann,, 33::119999))


firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear!.. " Then the eyes of theblind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be un-stopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and thetongues of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth inthe wilderness, and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35, 1-6)

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he whodespises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with hishands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing ofbloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil: He willdwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress ofrocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure.(Isaiah 33, 15-16)

... To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavyburdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you breakevery yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,and that you bring to your house the poor who are castout; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and nothide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shallbreak forth like the morning, your healing shall springforth speedily, and your righteousness shall go beforeyou; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Thenyou shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, andHe will say, "Here I am." If you take away the yoke fromyour midst, the pointing of the finger, and speakingwickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry andsatisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in thedarkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday.(Isaiah 58, 6-10)

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TThhoossee wwhhoo bbeelliieevvee,, tthhoossee wwhhoo aarreeJJeewwss,, aanndd tthhee CChhrriissttiiaannss aanndd

SSaabbeeaannss,, aallll wwhhoo bbeelliieevvee iinn GGoodd aannddtthhee LLaasstt DDaayy aanndd aacctt rriigghhttllyy,, wwiillll

hhaavvee tthheeiirr rreewwaarrdd wwiitthh tthheeiirr LLoorrdd..TThheeyy wwiillll ffeeeell nnoo ffeeaarr aanndd wwiillll kknnooww

nnoo ssoorrrrooww.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 22::6622))


TTHHEE NNEEWW TTEESSTTAAMMEENN''SS RREECCOOMMMMEENNDDAATTIIOONNSSFFOORR AA WWOORRLLDD OOFF LLOOVVEE AANNDD

"... You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all

your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great command-

ment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

(Matthew 22, 37-39)

The Christian New Testament also contains many sectionsforbidding evil and oppression. People are called on to be for-giving, peaceful, tolerant and compromising at all times. Forthese reasons, Christianity expects people to be understandingand joyful, and to refrain from conflict. Christians who abideby the injunctions revealed by the Prophet Jesus (peace beupon him) and who take his morality as their own are de-scribed in these terms in the Qur'an (57: 27):

Then We sent Our Messengers following in their foot-steps and sent 'Isa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary) afterthem, giving him the Gospel. We put compassion andmercy in the hearts of those who followed him . . .

In another verse (5:82), God states, "... You will find thepeople most affectionate to those who believe are those whosay, 'We are Christians.' That is because some of them arepriests and monks and because they are not arrogant," andpraises Christians who turn to God with a sincere heart.

This positive morality of Christians is based on the com-mandments in the Bible. They are commanded to return goodfor evil, to love their fellow human beings unconditionally and

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to help the needy in the same manner. In fact, the New

Testament uses a special word for the "unconditional love" that

believers have for Our Lord and the faithful. One work dealing

with Christianity describes the situation in these terms:

The word agape is used 116 times in 105 verses of the New

Testament. It is a very high form of love. Agape

Enterprises simply means "Love Enterprises." Our min-

istry reaches out to those who need, and have nothing to

repay.24

A number of extracts from the New Testament command

people to avoid evil and bloodshed and encourage them to dis-

play proper morality.

UUNNCCOONNDDIITTIIOONNAALL LLOOVVEE AANNDD CCOOMMPPAASSSSIIOONN

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one

another; as I have loved you, that you also love one an-

other." (John 13, 34)


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Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to

what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with

brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the

Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing

steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the

saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you;

bless and do not curse. (Romans 12, 9-14)

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he

who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the command-

ments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not

murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false

witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other

commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely,

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no

harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the

law. (Romans 13, 8-10)

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love

to one another and to all, just as we do to you. (1

Thessalonians 3, 12)

Then one of the scribes came... and asked him, "Which is

the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him, "The

first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord

our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord

your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all

your mind, and with all your strength.' ... And the second,

like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

There is no other commandment greater than these."

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TThhee ppeeooppllee ooff tthheeGGoossppeell sshhoouulldd jjuuddggee bbyywwhhaatt GGoodd sseenntt ddoowwnn iinn

iitt.. TThhoossee wwhhoo ddoo nnoottjjuuddggee bbyy wwhhaatt GGoodd hhaasssseenntt ddoowwnn,, ssuucchh ppeeooppllee

aarree ddeevviiaattoorrss.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 55::4477))

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SSaayy,, ''PPeeooppllee ooff tthhee BBooookk!! CCoommee ttoo aapprrooppoossiittiioonn wwhhiicchh iiss tthhee ssaammee ffoorr uuss

aanndd yyoouu––tthhaatt wwee sshhoouulldd wwoorrsshhiipp nnoonneebbuutt GGoodd aanndd nnoott aassssoocciiaattee aannyy ppaarrttnneerrss

wwiitthh HHiimm aanndd nnoott ttaakkee oonnee aannootthheerr aasslloorrddss bbeessiiddeess GGoodd..'' IIff tthheeyy ttuurrnn aawwaayy,,

ssaayy,, ''BBeeaarr wwiittnneessss tthhaatt wwee aarree MMuusslliimmss..''((QQuurr''aann,, 33::6644))

So the scribe said to him, "Well said, Teacher. You havespoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is noother but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with allthe understanding, with all the soul, and with all thestrength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is morethan all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." (Mark12, 28-33)

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truththrough the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love oneanother fervently with a pure heart… (1 Peter 1, 22)

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion forone another; love as brothers, be tender hearted, be cour-teous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling,but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you werecalled to this, that you may inherit a blessing… (1 Peter 3,8-10)

And above all things, have fervent love for one another,for "love will cover a multitude of sins." Be hospitable toone another without grumbling. As each one has receiveda gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of themanifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4, 8-10)

LLOOVVIINNGG YYOOUURR EENNEEMMYY

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love yourneighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love yourenemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those whohate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you andpersecute you. (Matthew 5, 43-44)


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"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good tothose who hate you, bless those who curse you, and prayfor those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes youon the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him whotakes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him whotakes away your goods, do not ask for them back. And justas you want men to do to you, you also do to them like-wise. But if you love those who love you, what credit isthat to you? For even sinners love those who love them.And if you do good to those who do good to you, whatcredit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And ifyou lend to those from whom you hope to receive back,what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners

to receive as muchback. But love yourenemies, do good,and lend, hopingfor nothing in re-turn; and your re-ward will begreat..."

(Luke 6, 27-35)

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AA PPRROOPPEERR MMOORRAALLIITTYY

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.Blessed are the peacemakers..." (Matthew 5, 7-9)

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not,and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will beforgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure,pressed down, shaken together, and running over will beput into your bosom. For with the same measure that youuse, it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6, 37-38)

And why do you look at the speck [of sawdust] in yourbrother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your owneye? Or how can you say to your brother, "'Brother, let meremove the speck that is in your eye,"' when you yourselfdo not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite!First remove the plank from your own eye, and then youwill see clearly to remove the speck that is in yourbrother's eye. (Luke 6, 41-42)

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put ontender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffer-ing; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another,if anyone has a complaint against another… But above allthese things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.(Colossians 3, 12-14)

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whateverthings are noble, whatever things are just, whateverthings are pure, whatever things are lovely, whateverthings are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there


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is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.(Philippians 4, 8)

"... God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will fleefrom you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near toyou. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify yourhearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn andweep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and yourjoy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,and He will lift you up. Do not speak evil of one another,brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges hisbrother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But ifyou judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but ajudge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and todestroy. Who are you to judge another? (James 4, 6-12)

HHEELLPPIINNGG TTHHEE NNEEEEDDYY AANNDD DDOOIINNGG GGOOOODD DDEEEEDDSS

"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a badtree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its ownfruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do theygather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of thegood treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evilman out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."(Luke 6, 43-45)

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doinggood. And if anyone does not obey our word in this epis-tle, note that person and do not keep company with him,

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TThhoossee wwhhoo ggiivvee iinn ttiimmeess ooff bbootthh eeaasseeaanndd hhaarrddsshhiipp,, tthhoossee wwhhoo ccoonnttrrooll tthheeiirrrraaggee aanndd ppaarrddoonn ootthheerr ppeeooppllee –– GGooddlloovveess tthhee ggoooodd--ddooeerrss.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 33::113344))


that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an

enemy, but admonish him as a brother. (2 Thessalonians 3,

13-15)

So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"

He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics,

let him give to him who has none; and he who has food,

let him do likewise." Then tax collectors also came to be

baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"

And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is ap-

pointed for you." Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying,

"And what shall we do?" So he said to them, "Do not in-

timidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with

your wages." (Luke 3, 10-14)

I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that

you must support the weak. And remember the words of

the Lord, that He said, "It is more blessed to give than to

receive." (Acts 20, 35)

Or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who

teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he

who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence;

he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12, 7-8)

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may

put to silence the ignorance of foolish men - as free, yet not

using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of

God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God…

(1 Peter 2, 15-17)

For "He who would love life and see good days, let him

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TThheeyy wwiillll bbee ggiivveenn tthheeiirr rreewwaarrddttwwiiccee oovveerr bbeeccaauussee tthheeyy hhaavveebbeeeenn sstteeaaddffaasstt aanndd bbeeccaauussee

tthheeyy wwaarrdd ooffff tthhee bbaadd wwiitthh tthheeggoooodd aanndd ggiivvee ffrroomm wwhhaatt wwee

hhaavvee pprroovviiddeedd ffoorr tthheemm.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 2288::5544))


refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speakingdeceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let himseek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are onthe righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; butthe face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1Peter 3, 10-12)

AAVVOOIIDDIINNGG EEVVIILL AANNDD AADDVVOOCCAATTIINNGG PPEEAACCEE

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Dothey not come from your desires for pleasure that war inyour members? You lust and do not have. You murderand covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet youdo not have because you do not ask. You ask and do notreceive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend iton your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do younot know that friendship with the world is enmity withGod? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of theworld makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4, 1-4)

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speak-ing be put away from you, with all malice. And be kindto one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another,just as God forgave you. (Ephesians 4, 31-32)

"Blessed are the peacemakers..." (Matthew 5, 9)

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peace-ably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves...for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," saysthe Lord. Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him;if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will

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heap coals of fire on his head." (Romans 12, 18-20)

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins againstyou, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. (Luke17, 3)


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GGoodd ccaallllss ttoo tthhee AAbbooddee ooffPPeeaaccee aanndd HHee gguuiiddeess wwhhoommHHee wwiillllss ttoo aa ssttrraaiigghhtt ppaatthh..

((QQuurr''aann,, 1100::2255))

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ur earlier chapters concentrated on the physical andspiritual damage that terrorism inflicts, and cited

how conveying the morality of religion on the level of ideas isthe most important step in the cultural struggle against terror-ism. Explaining the features of proper morality described inthe Old and New Testaments and the Qur'an—love, compas-sion, tolerance and moderation—is the only way to do awaywith terrorism's endless bloodshed. In particular, the solutionto terrorism in the name of religion in particular lies in religionbeing correctly explained—in other words in understandingthe model of morality we discussed earlier. Whatever modelpeople take for themselves must be a source they can regard asa guide. That source is the Qur'an; the model is the life of ourProphet (may God bless him and grant him peace). This chap-ter examines his life in the light of the Qur'an's verses and thehadiths—his teachings and sayings.

At every moment, our Prophet (may God bless him andgrant him peace) displayed a morality that was pleasing toGod and lived in the most perfect manner. Any society thatmodel itself on the exemplary messengers of God will providea most significant obstacle to social evils such as terrorism,which will be unable to survive in such an environment.Terrorists lack any concept of human love. Aggressive, uncom-promising, intolerant, incapable of entering a dialogue withthose who think differently, seeing no value in others' ideas,they try to resolve every argument through violence. In any so-cial morality built on love and tolerance, they can neverachieve their aims.

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OOUURR PPRROOPPHHEETT (may God bless him and grant him peace) WWAASS AA MMAANN OOFF TTOOLLEERRAANNCCEE AANNDD LLOOVVEE

In the time of the Prophet Mohammed (may God blesshim and grant him peace), Arabia was home to communities ofdifferent religions, cultures and ideas. Jews, Christians,Sabians, Zoroastrians and idol worshippers all lived side byside, together with many different tribes hostile to each other.Yet no matter what their tribe or beliefs, our Prophet (may Godbless him and grant him peace) called people to religion withaffection, patience, tolerance and love. The Qur'an (3:19) de-scribes his pleasing attitude to those around him:

It is a mercy from God that you were gentle with them.If you had been rough or hard of heart, they would havescattered from around you. So pardon them and ask for-giveness for them...

As pointed out earlier, the Qur'an reveals that no oneshould be pressured to embrace Islam. Muslims are chargedonly with explaining the religion of God. No one can force any-one else to believe or worship. Only by the will of God can an-other find the true path and come to believe. Our Prophet (mayGod bless him and grant him peace) always scrupulouslyabided by that prohibition and stated frequently that a mancould live by religion only when, in his heart, he really wantedto. God told our Prophet (may God bless him and grant himpeace) in one holy verse (50:45) how he should behave towardsthose around him:

We know best what they say. You are not a dictator over

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OO PPrroopphheett!! WWee hhaavvee sseennttyyoouu aass aa wwiittnneessss,, aanndd aa

bbrriinnggeerr ooff ggoooodd nneewwss aannddaa wwaarrnneerr,, aanndd aa ccaalllleerr ttooGGoodd bbyy HHiiss ppeerrmmiissssiioonnaanndd aa lliigghhtt--ggiivviinngg llaammpp..

((QQuurr''aann,, 3333::4455--4466))

130

SSoo tthhaatt yyoouu mmiigghhtt aallll bbeelliieevveeiinn GGoodd aanndd HHiiss MMeesssseennggeerraanndd hhoonnoorr HHiimm aanndd rreessppeeccttHHiimm aanndd gglloorriiffyy HHiimm iinn tthheemmoorrnniinngg aanndd tthhee eevveenniinngg..

((QQuurr''aann,, 4488::99))

them. So remind, with the Qur'an, whoever fears MyThreat.

Our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace)once told the faithful, "I have been sent to show mercy."25 Thekey to his noble morality is also described in these terms:

Those who have mercy will receive the mercy of the MostMerciful.26

A great many hadiths concern our Prophet's (may Godbless him and grant him peace) compassion, affection and tol-erance. For example, he once said, "Those who show no mercywill be shown no mercy."27 Other words of his include:

My Cherisher has ordered me nine things: To reverence Him,externally and internally; to speak true, and with propriety, inprosperity and adversity…28

I swear by whom my soul is in his hand, you will not enter par-adise until you believe, and you will not believe until you loveeach other. Do you want me to guide you to something which ifyou practice, you will love each other? Spread greeting withpeace among of you.29

In his collection of information from the world of the ha-diths, the great Islamic scholar Imam Ghazali sums up ourProphet's (may God bless him and grant him peace) attitude tothose around him in these terms:

... Everyone thought that the Prophet (may God bless him andgrant him peace) honored him more. Whoever came to him couldsee his face.... He used to call his companions by their surnames with honorand he used to give one surname who had no surname. ... He was very affectionate and kind in dealing with the people.

The Prophet Mohammed's (pbuh) Noble Morality

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... Nobody could speak loudly in his assembly.30

Our Prophet's (may God bless him and grant him peace)

love of his fellow man, his consideration and affection, tied

those around him and encouraged them to believe. His supe-

rior example of morality is one that all Muslims should dwell

on. One verse (9: 128) describes the features of our Prophet

(may God bless him and grant him peace) that set an example

to all mankind:

A Messenger has come to you from among yourselves.

Your suffering is distressing to him; he is deeply con-

cerned for you; he is gentle and merciful to the believ-

ers.

Love and affection, tolerance and compassion are com-

mon traits of the messengers whom God has sent as leaders to

the true path. The Qur'an states that the other prophets have

been honored with "loving sensitivity" and gives the Prophet

John (peace be upon him), to whom He gave wisdom, as an ex-

ample in this regard to all mankind. Verse 19:13 describes that

holy personage in these terms:

... and tenderness and purity from Us – he was conscien-

tious.

OOUURR PPRROOPPHHEETT''SS (may God bless him and grant him peace)

GGEENNTTLLEE CCOONNSSIIDDEERRAATTIIOONN

Our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace)

was in constant contact with all sections of society and spoke to

everyone, from those at the very pinnacle of power to prisoners

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of war, children and orphans. With people of all different socialstandings, lifestyles, natures and customs, he established posi-tive dialogues, winning their affection and treating them allwith kind patience and pleasant understanding.

As reported by those companions who were close to him,our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) was"most kind, morally above reproach, graceful, amiable and con-siderate." His words, "I have been sent to perfect good qualities ofcharacter"31 are an expression of his high nature. Aisha, whoknew him very well, described his pleasant morality in the fol-lowing words: "The Prophet's (may God bless him and granthim peace) nature was the Qur'an."32

Anas, who was brought up in the Prophet's (may Godbless him and grant him peace) house and served him for years,describes his courtesy in these terms:

God's Messenger (may God bless him and grant himpeace), when he shook hands with anyone, he did not withdrawhis hands till the other man withdrew his. Similarly, he did notturn away his face from anyone till that man turned his face tothe other side. And he was never seen to put forward his knees infront of one with whom he was sitting.33

Whenever one spoke to him the other would keep quiet and lis-ten till he would finish.34

Anas bin Malik ("may Allah be pleased with him") says, 'I re-mained in the service of the Rasulullah (saas) for ten years. Henever once spoke me a word of contempt. When I did something,he never asked me. "Why did you do so?" When I did not do acertain task, he never asked me why I did not do it.35

Throughout his life, our Prophet (may God bless him and


133

grant him peace) educated thousands. Through his influence,people who knew nothing about religion came to be consider-ate, willing to make sacrifices, have a pleasing attitude and pos-sess a superior morality. Even now, centuries after his death,Our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) remainsthe very best guide and teacher, whose words and morality con-tinue to inspire billions.

OOUURR PPRROOPPHHEETT (may God bless him and grant him peace) AADDVVIISSEEDD TTHHEE FFAAIITTHHFFUULL TTOO BBEE FFUULLLL OOFF LLOOVVEE

Our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) de-clared it was particularly important for the faithful to love oneanother with sincere affection, taking no account of personal in-terests, and never to harbor negative emotions like hatred, angeror jealousy.

In the Qur'an (42:23), God commands His Prophet (mayGod bless him and grant him peace) to say the following:

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That is the good news which God gives to His servantswho believe and do right actions. Say: "I do not ask youfor any wage for this–except for you to love your near ofkin. If anyone does a good action, We will increase thegood of it for him. God is Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Thankful."

Some hadiths regarding the Prophet's (may God bless himand grant him peace) affection, friendship and brotherhoodread:

A believer loves for others what he loves for himself.36

God's Apostle (saas) used to accept gifts and used to give some-thing in return. 37

He who is presented with a flower of sweet basil should not re-ject it, because it is light in weight and pleasant in odor. 38 Don't hate one another, don't envy one another don't sell overthe sale to another, don't dispute with one another and don'tback-bite one another. The servants of God are brethren to oneanother.39

The habits of earlier generations have attacked you–envy andhatred. Hatred is shaving. You will not enter Paradise till youbelieve. You will not believe till you love one another. Shall I notinform you what thing will establish you on it? Spread peaceamong you.40

The strong man is not the one who is strong in wrestling, butthe one who controls himself in anger.41

Beware of envy, for envy devours good [deeds] as fire devoursfirewood.42

Muslims are brothers to one another. They should neither cheat,lie, nor humiliate each other.43


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OOUURR PPRROOPPHHEETT (may God bless him and grant him peace) CCOOMMMMAANNDDEEDD JJUUSSTTIICCEE

With the rules he gave to the Muslims; with his just andtolerant attitude towards other religions, languages, races andtribes; and in his equal treatment of everybody, rich and poor,our Prophet Mohammed (may God bless him and grant himpeace) is a great example to all of mankind. In one verse (5:42),God tells him "But if you do judge, judge between them justly.God loves the just." The Prophet (may God bless him and granthim peace) never made the slightest concession on that justice,not even under the most difficult conditions.

Many incidents from his life bear witness to the Prophet's(may God bless him and grant him peace) exemplary attitude.In the land where he lived, a variety of religions, races andtribes all lived together. These communities found it very diffi-cult to live together in peace and security, much less restrainthose who wanted to sow dissent. However, our Prophet's(may God bless him and grant him peace) justice was a sourceof peace and security, as much for these non-believers as it wasfor Muslims. During his lifetime, everyone on the ArabianPeninsula— Christian, Jew, or pagan—was treated justly, withno discrimination.

Our Prophet's (may God bless him and grant him peace)pleasing attitude, in conformity with the Qur'an, sets an exam-ple for those of different religions and shows how they shouldbehave to one another. His justice brought about compromisebetween people of different races. In many of his addresses,even in his Farewell Sermon, he made it known that no one's

136

137

YYoouu wwhhoo bbeelliieevvee!! SShhooww iinntteeggrriittyy ffoorr tthhee ssaakkee ooff

GGoodd,, bbeeaarriinngg wwiittnneessss wwiitthhjjuussttiiccee.. DDoo nnoott lleett hhaattrreeddffoorr aa ppeeooppllee iinncciittee yyoouu

iinnttoo nnoott bbeeiinngg jjuusstt.. BBee jjuusstt..TThhaatt iiss cclloosseerr ttoo rriigghhtteeoouuss--

nneessss.. HHeeeedd GGoodd.. GGoodd iissaawwaarree ooff wwhhaatt yyoouu ddoo..""

((QQuurr''aann,, 55::88))

Alain Lesieutre, "Dikilitafl, Istanbul," oil oncanvas , 1855, Paris.


race or class endowed him with any superiority. This lay onlyin godliness, as God has revealed in the Qur'an (49:13). Otherhadiths on this subject say:

You are sons of Adam, and Adam came from dust. Let the peoplecease to boast about their ancestors.44

These genealogies of yours are not a reason to revile anyone. Youare all children of Adam. No one has any superiority over an-other, except in religion and taqwa [godliness].45

OOUURR PPRROOPPHHEETT (may God bless him and grant him peace) AALLWWAAYYSS FFAAVVOORREEDD PPEEAACCEE

Our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace)never desired war but over the years, made great efforts tospread Islam by peaceful means. He was patient in the face ofheavy assaults and pressure, except when dealing with suchpressure became imperative, he did give permission for war, inthe light of a revelation from God. He never declared war so

138

long as there was still the slightest possibility of peace, and aslong as an enemy's attacks and pressure represented no mortaldanger.

During our Prophet's (may God bless him and grant himpeace) lifetime, the Mu'tah Expedition was the bloodiest andmost difficult waged by the Muslims. He appointed Zayd ibnHarithah to command the army, and admonished the troops:

Wage war in the name of God, on the path of God, against thosewho deny God. Engage in no treachery. Do not cut off ears andnoses and other parts of the body. Do not kill women and chil-dren, the elderly, and men of religion in their places of worship.Do not cut down date and other trees, and do not tear downbuildings.46

Based on the prophetic orders on war, the following prin-ciples, which may be called "The Islamic Principles of Combat",are outlined by Muslim scholars:

1. War is to be waged only with those who encourage andengage in it.

2. Priests in churches, children, women, and the elderlymust never be harmed.

3. Sown fields must not be damaged.4. Treaties and agreements must not be broken.5. Animals must not be harmed.6. There must be no cruelty and torture.7. Towns must not be destroyed.47

The Treaty of Medina, signed by our Prophet (may Godbless him and grant him peace) and the Jewish and polytheistcommunities in the city, was also an important example of jus-tice and mutual respect between different communities. The


139


treaty, drawn up to establish a kind of constitution betweencommunities of different beliefs and allowing each one to ob-serve its own principles, brought peace to those who for yearshad been hostile to one another. One of its most striking fea-tures was how it enshrined freedom of belief. The article onthat subject reads:

The Jews of Banu 'Awf are one nation with the Muslims; theJews have their religion, and the Muslims have theirs…48

Article 16 of the Treaty of Medina reads, "The Jew who fol-lows us is surely entitled to our support and the same equal rights asany one of us. He shall not be wronged nor his enemy be assisted."49

The Prophet's (may God bless him and grant him peace) suc-cessors stayed loyal to that rule he agreed to, extending it evento Berbers, Buddhists, Hindu Brahmans and those of other be-liefs.

One reason why the time of the Prophet (may God blesshim and grant him peace) was blessed with peace and securitywas his position of justice, so in line with the morality of theQur'an. Foreign writers, too, have been impressed by his supe-rior character and praise our Prophet's (may God bless himand grant him peace) morality in their works. In The GenuineIslam, George Bernard Shaw described these superior traits:

I have always held the religion of Mohammed in high es-timation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only re-ligion which appears to me to possess that assimilatingcapacity to the changing phase of existence which canmake itself appeal to every age. I have studied him ... hemust be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if aman like him were to assume the dictatorship of the mod-

140

ern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in away that would bring it the much needed peace and hap-piness...50

In our own time as well, abiding by the Qur'an's moralityis the only answer to all the conflicts, fighting, and instability ofthe world. Like our Prophet (may God bless him and grant himpeace), never we should depart from the path of justice, andshould always respect the rights of different communities andindividiuals, whatever their beliefs and identities may be.


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EEaacchh ppeerrssoonn ffaacceess aa ppaarrttiiccuullaarr ddiirreeccttiioonn ssoo rraaccee eeaacchh ootthheerr ttoo tthheeggoooodd.. WWhheerreevveerr yyoouu aarree,, GGoodd wwiillll

bbrriinngg yyoouu aallll ttooggeetthheerr.. TTrruullyy,, GGoodd hhaassppoowweerr oovveerr aallll tthhiinnggss..

((QQuurr''aann,, 22::114488))

142

hroughout history, there have been periods whenthe scourges of terror and anarchy have intensified,

posing a threat to entire populations. Numerous solutionshave been proposed. One of those who stressed the importanceof an all-out struggle against terror and anarchy was the greatTurkish Islamic scholar, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1877-1960).He said that the first thing people must do is spread the moral-ity of the Qur'an; to that end, he made a number of recommen-dations.

At the time Bediuzzaman lived, the world was goingthrough radical changes. The First World War had a particu-larly impact on his life. During the War, he had led theOttoman militia forces on the Caucasian Front against the in-vading Russians for which he was later awarded a War Medal.He was taken prisoner in March 1916 and was held in Russiafor two years. In early 1918, he escaped from prison and madehis way back to Istanbul via Warsaw, Berlin and Vienna.

Thus he had a front-row seat to witness the collapse of theOttoman Empire and the establishment of the TurkishRepublic. He also saw the Russian Revolution bringCommunism to power, the conflict between the greatEuropean powers, and the difficulties that both World Wars in-flicted on the Turkish Republic. As can be seen in his writings,he made a detailed analysis of all these events, evaluating allpolitical developments in the light of the verses of the Qur'an.Always he emphasized how any society that turns its back onreligion will suffer great damage; and that only if Muslimsjoined forces, could they enjoy great success against atheist ide-ologies.

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Bediuzzaman knew that terror and anarchy wouldemerge in his own time, and afterwards. He therefore tried toalert people to a number of possible solutions for these terribleproblems. In his words, "... Religion fiercely condemns strifeand anarchy. Anarchy recognizes no rights. It turns humanmorality and the works of civilization into the morality of ani-mals,"51 This was the best possible expression of Islam's viewson terror and violence, which Bediuzzaman spent his life ex-pounding. As he once said, "Patience and endurance to put astop to anarchy and maintain public order are necessary, withall sincerity in the service of the faith. I am therefore perfectlycontent to sacrifice my repute to that end."52 He stated that inthe fight against anarchy and terror—a fight that required pa-tience and endurance—believers bore a great responsibility.

His experience and guiding words are of great valuetoday. We should carefully consider every statement made bythis worthy individual, who spent his life trying to build aworld of love and wisdom, based on the morality of theQur'an.

OONNLLYY BBYY LLOOVVEE,, BBEEDDIIUUZZZZAAMMAANN AALLWWAAYYSS SSAAIIDD,,CCOOUULLDD TTEERRRROORRIISSMM BBEE OOVVEERRCCOOMMEE

The most noteworthy aspect of his statements is the im-portance he attaches to human love and life, inspired by themorality of the Qur'an. As he once said,

The true lesson from the Qur'an is this: If there are tenmonsters and one innocent person in a house... is it per-missible to burn that house... even though the morality ofthe Qur'an forbids such a thing... [to] ruin ten innocent

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YYoouu wwhhoo bbeelliieevvee!! EEnntteerr iinnttoossuubbmmiissssiioonn ((oorr ppeeaaccee)) ttoottaallllyy..DDoo nnoott ffoollllooww iinn tthhee ffoooottsstteeppss

ooff ssaattaann.. HHee iiss aann oouuttrriigghhtteenneemmyy ttoo yyoouu.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 22::220088))


people for the sake of one monster? Would not burning

that house down be the greatest possible cruelty and be-

trayal? ... the morality of the Qur'an forbids the endanger-

ing of the lives or the harming of the 90 percent of

innocent people for the sake of the ten percent of monsters

who threaten security. We must be aware that we are

bound by religion to preserve security and abide by that

lesson from the Qur'an...53

In these words, Bediuzzaman revealed the great impor-

tance of human life, that every possible sacrifice should be

made to save the life of just one individual, that doing the op-

posite means committing great cruelty. Muslims should work

to establish peace and security. Because that responsibility is a

command from God, believers use all means at their disposal

to help spread the morality of religion. Where terror and anar-

chy become terrible scourges, an environment in which Islamic

morality is lived resembles heaven. Bediuzzaman said as much

in a number of statements:

If a Muslim departs from the Muslim community, he turns

from the religion and becomes an anarchist and has a poi-

sonous effect on society. Because anarchy recognizes no

rights, and turns the proper nature of mankind into the

morality of savage animals.54

A true Muslim, a sincere believer, never supports anarchy

and wickedness... the religion fiercely condemns strife

and anarchy. Because anarchy recognizes no rights, and

turns the proper nature of mankind and the works of civi-

lization into the morality of savage animals.55

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He made it clear that conveyingthe morality of religion would openup a great dialogue, even in the heartsof the intolerant, the uncompromisingand aggressive. The love of Godwould keep people from all forms oftyranny. He stressed that everyMuslim's duty is to relate the beautiesof religion and the truths of theQur'an, so as to bring that love intopeoples' hearts. Bediuzzaman oncestressed that his Risale-i Nur ("Lettersof Light", a collection of all his writings) fulfilled that function:

Yes, the Risale-i Nur and faith based on truth and proofand the truths of the Qur'an, explains and elucidates mat-ters in a manner appropriate to the times and in such away that the community can accept them, has led to mil-lions of people examining faith and belief, awoken Islamiclove and dialogue in their souls, and built a spiritual wallagainst atheism and immorality, the signs of anarchy. Yes,the union of the sacred ideal and purpose form an invinci-ble force, an impassable wall, a spiritual power in peoples'souls, hearts and minds.56

TTHHEE IIMMPPOORRTTAANNCCEE OOFF QQUURR''AANNIICC MMOORRAALLIITTYY IINNTTHHEE CCAASSEE AAGGAAIINNSSTT TTEERRRROORR

At every opportunity, Bediuzzaman reminded people thatin the fight against terror and anarchy, the most importantweapon was the spread of religious morality. As he commented,

Solutions to Terror and Anarchy, from Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

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Bediuzzaman Said Nursi


Towns are also households for their inhabitants. If beliefin the hereafter does not govern the members of that largefamily, vices like malice, self-interest, false pretences, self-ishness, artificiality, hypocrisy, bribery, and deception willdominate--displacing sincerity, cordiality, virtue, zeal,self-sacrifice, seeking God's pleasure and the reward ofthe hereafter, which are the bases of good conduct andmorality. Anarchy and savagery will govern under the su-perficial order and humanity, poisoning the life of thetown. Children will become troublemakers, the youth willtake to drink, the strong will embark on oppression, andthe elderly start to weep.57

In societies that turn their back on religion, deceit, oppres-sion, anarchy, violence and terror emerge. Virtues like coopera-tion, sacrifice and honesty go by the board. People think onlyof their own self-interests, desiring only their own comfortsand working only for themselves. Yet when a society lives byreligion, then cooperation, friendship and brotherhood prevail.Later in this same statement, Bediuzzaman gives examples ofthe advantages that religious morality can bring to family andsocial life:

By analogy, the country is also a household, and the fa-therland, the home of the national family. If belief in thehereafter rules, then true respect, earnest compassion, dis-interested love, mutual assistance, honest service and so-cial relations, unhypocritical charity, virtue, modestgreatness, and excellence will all start to develop. It saysto the children, "Give up messing around; there isParadise to be won!" and teaches them self-control

148

149

TThheeyy wwiillll hhaavvee tthhee AAbbooddee ooffPPeeaaccee wwiitthh tthheeiirr LLoorrdd.. HHee iisstthheeiirr PPrrootteeccttoorr bbeeccaauussee ooff

wwhhaatt tthheeyy hhaavvee ddoonnee..((QQuurr''aann,, 66::112277))


through instruction in the Qur'an. It says to the youth,"There is Hell-fire; give up your drunkenness!" and bringsthem to their senses. To the oppressor, it says, "There is se-vere torment; you will receive a blow!" and makes thembow to justice. To the elderly it says, "Awaiting you in thehereafter is everlasting happiness, far greater than all thehappiness you have lost here, and immortal youth; try towin them!" It turns their tears into laughter. It shows its fa-vorable effects in every group, particular and universal,and illuminates them. Sociologists and moralists, who areconcerned with the social life of mankind, should takespecial note. If the rest of the thousands of benefits andadvantages of belief in the hereafter are compared withthe five or six we have alluded to, it will be understoodthat only belief is the means of happiness in this worldand the next, and in the lives of both.58

As these examples suggest, once people live by religiousmorality, it's easy to advise them, forbid them to commit evil,and turn them to the true path. Bediuzzaman often said thatterror and anarchy could be destroyed only if people live bythe morality of the Qur'an—commanding love, tolerance,peace, forgiveness, affection and compassion; standing againstall forms of evil and wickedness. These words of his call onMuslims to embrace the truths of the Qur'an, again emphasiz-ing that only prevailing religion can end anarchy in the world:

The only solution to the ruin and destruction caused byanarchy, which menaces and has wreaked terrible calami-ties on mankind, is the eternal and timeless truths of a sa-cred and divine religion.59

150

Bediuzzaman frequently stressed that the morality of the

Qur'an, and its interpretation in the Risale-i Nur made a great

contribution in eliminating terror and anarchy, and would con-

tinue to do so in future. Every effort to explain Qur'anic moral-

ity and invite people to the path of true Islam helps fulfill that

duty and plays an important role in the struggle against terror-

ism. Bediuzzaman drew attention to the importance of that:

"The Risale-i Nur definitely has no connection with politics. But

since it has smashed absolute disbelief, it destroys and repulses

anarchy, which underlies absolute disbelief, and absolute

despotism, which overlies it."60

In another statement, he sets out some essentials to get rid

of anarchy: "Respect, compassion, refraining from sin, security,


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the giving up of lawlessness and being obedient to authority."61

Later in the same statement, he describes how the Risale-i Nur

fulfills the duties they have taken on:

When the Risale-i Nur looks to the life of society, it estab-

lishes and strengthens these five principles in a powerful

and sacred fashion and preserves the cornerstone of pub-

lic order... Over the last twenty years, the "Risale-i Nur"

has made one hundred thousand people into harmless,

beneficial members of this nation and country.62

AARRTT,, WWIISSDDOOMM AANNDD UUNNAANNIIMMIITTYY OOFF PPUURRPPOOSSEE

In his works, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi offers a detailed

description of the form that struggle against terror, atheism,

anarchy and the problems of the Islamic World should take:

"Our enemies are ignorance, poverty and inner conflict. We

shall fight these three foes with the weapons of wisdom, skill

and unanimity of purpose."63 These vital words draw attention

to three grave dangers: ignorance, poverty and conflict.

It's essential to warn the public against the first of these,

ignorance. In today's Islamic world, the great majority has

some a knowledge of religion and belief in God. Yet seldom

does that same majority deeply examine religion and spiritual

values. Because their knowledge is generally superficial and

picked up secondhand, it's impossible for them to translate re-

ligion's proper morality to be, in its true sense, into life. It's es-

sential, therefore, to do away with that lack of knowledge.

The poverty of the Muslim world is the second danger

Bediuzzaman cites. The poverty prevents people from having

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a proper education and thus feeds ignorance. It also makesMuslims feel weak and thus feeds both frustration and radical-ization. The third danger is the inner conflict over so many is-sues in the Muslim world. When parties can reach noagreement on basic values, their debate over ideas usually de-generates into hostilities, conflicts and even civil wars.Tolerance and mutual respect are not only inter-civilizationalbut also intra-civilizational necessities.

But the truth is, a constructive attitude can resolve theseproblems and conflicts. The paths of reason and conscience areone and the same. For that reason, truth needs to be statedopenly, in the face of the chaos and strife that conflict bringswith it. Against these three dangers, Bediuzzaman alsostressed the measures to be taken.

The first of these, art, occupies an important place andmeans several things: First, that people should be taught to un-derstand beauty and aesthetics. These blessings from God willturn human souls away from brute force. Knowing that art is ablessing from God, and giving thanks for it, increases peoples'spiritual depth. For that reason, it's most important to show thefull beauty of the God's art all around us. Artists should act inthat knowledge, and the devout need to turn to art with thatsame awareness. Every explanation of the morality of religionmust bear artistic values in mind. It's highly important todemonstrate the devout's superior artistic understanding in allwritten works, with colored pictures, simple and clear lan-guage, and high-quality printing.

Wisdom embodied in the written word is equally a formof art. The words employed, the examples used, and the strik-


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ing, effective means of expression all make a very importantimpressions on the reader. When it comes to explaining thebeauties of religion, simple means of expression—as opposedto unclear, confusing and abstruse methods—make it mucheasier to grasp the truth and understand it.

The "wisdom" Bediuzzaman refers to means the posses-sion of knowledge. Muslims need to be the masters of knowl-edge in the age in which they live. That, of cource includesscience and social sciences. Because a Muslim is an earthly rep-resentative of the religion that God has chosen for Man, heneeds to be well versed in the sciences, cultures, thought andtechnology of his time, as well as being able to employ thatknowledge efficiently.

The final method Bediuzzaman recommends, unanimityof purpose, needs to be brought about by every Muslim whowants to achieve security and well being and to see the Islamicworld flourish again. History shows that unification and har-mony in the Islamic world have always brought success. Thegolden age of the Prophet (may god bless him and grant himpeace) and the first caliphs, the Abbasid Empire, the empire ofSaladin, or the Ottoman Empire; all these examples indicatethat unification among the Muslims themselves created pow-erful and victorious, yet fair and tolerant states. In times of tur-moil, both Muslims and non-Muslims suffered.

Thus, a revival of the Islamic world is due to the unifica-tion of Muslims all around the globe, transcending ethnic, sec-tarian or social disputes. Once this is achieved, the formation ofa political unity — in terms of an Islamic Union — will also beat hand. Such a Union will resolve the disputes both among the

154

Muslims themselves and among the Muslims and non-Muslims; heal the radical elements in the Islamic world bymeans of education and persuasion; and establish good rela-tions between the Islamic civilization and other civilizations.


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…… GGoodd mmaakkeess aa mmeettaapphhoorr ooff aa ggooooddwwoorrdd:: AA ggoooodd ttrreeee wwhhoossee rroooottss aarree

ffiirrmm aanndd wwhhoossee bbrraanncchheess aarree iinnhheeaavveenn?? IItt bbeeaarrss ffrruuiitt rreegguullaarrllyy bbyy iittss

LLoorrdd''ss ppeerrmmiissssiioonn.. GGoodd mmaakkeessmmeettaapphhoorrss ffoorr ppeeooppllee ssoo tthhaatt hhooppee--

ffuullllyy tthheeyy wwiillll bbee rreemmiinnddeedd.. ((QQuurr''aann,, 1144::2244--2255))

156

nless necessary measures are taken, unless deep-rooted solutions are brought in, the 21st century will

continue to be a time of terror and violence, just as the 20th wasbefore it. The ideological fight against terrorism, therefore,must begin started with great and urgency, to include verygreat numbers of people. This fight will be fought on the levelof ideas—between people who believe in the true religiousmorality, who are loving, forgiving, compassionate and in fullpossession of their conscience; and those who draw theirstrength from ignorance, arrogance and violence.

In one holy verse (Surah Hud: 116), our Lord asks, "Wouldthere had been more people with a vestige of good among thegenerations of those who came before you, who forbade cor-ruption in the earth…" Believers should possess the virtue thatGod describes in that verse. While terrorists hope to achievetheir aims by violence, believers should know that true successcan be achieved only by clinging tightly to the religion of God,and acting accordingly. If Jews, Christians, and Muslims jointogether in that struggle, in a spirit of respect for all beliefs andideas and, by the will of God, they will enjoy definitive success.

A terrorist may learn by heart all the fundamental sourcesbehind his beliefs. Yet such a person is still unaware of the oneevident truth that will bring him happiness and inspiration,both in this world and the next. That's because all his life, he'sbeen educated in radical ideologies, in the context of the ideathat life is a battleground in which only the strong survive,where violence and oppression are the only means of survival.Anyone resorting to terrorism, no matter what his religion,

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race, or nation, must understand that he's acting under the in-fluence of a misleading philosophy, that in the final analysisstems from materialist and Darwinist thinking, though it some-times poses as a religious idea.

Those who resort to secular terrorism are unaware thatGod and the hereafter really do exist; that this world is merely aplace of trial; and that only those who believe and carry outtheir religious obligations devoutly will be saved. Those whoresort to allegedly "religious" terrorism, are far from under-standing God's commandments against mischief and the valueof human life, such as that "… If someone kills another per-son—unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causingcorruption in the earth—it is as if he had murdered allmankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as ifhe had given life to all mankind." (Qur'an, 5: 32)

At this point, a great responsibility falls on all true believ-ers, no matter what their religion. Jews must not ignore OldTestament statements calling mankind to peace and tolerance,and they must call on all other Jews to oppose terrorism — in-cluding the state terrorism employed by Israel in the occupiedterritories. So should Christians call on all other Christians, tak-ing as their guide the morality most pleasing to God. Theyshould also stress that "the war on terror" should not turn intoviolent revenge, and a peaceful "counter-terrorism" should bepreferred, since the Christian faith proclaims that "blessed arethe peacemakers". (Matthew, 5: 9) One should not forget thatterrorism stems from wrong ideas and the basic struggleagainst terrorism should be on the level of ideas. Believers mustexplain that these ideas are wrong both in terms of their theory

158

159

TThhoossee wwhhoo,, iiff WWee eessttaabblliisshhtthheemm ffiirrmmllyy oonn tthhee eeaarrtthh,, wwiillll

eessttaabblliisshh pprraayyeerr aanndd ppaayycchhaarriittyy ttaaxx,, aanndd ccoommmmaanndd

wwhhaatt iiss rriigghhtt aanndd ffoorrbbiidd wwhhaattiiss wwrroonngg.. TThhee eenndd rreessuulltt ooff

aallll aaffffaaiirrss iiss wwiitthh GGoodd..((QQuurr''aann,, 2222::4411))


and practice. No idea can prevail by means of violence, oppres-

sion and cruelty; and despotism can never triumph.

Terrorist ideology is built on sand. Its foundations can eas-

ily be swept away by mobilizing a proper education campaign.

Sincere believers in all parts of the world can help end the igno-

rance that breeds terrorism by searching for solutions, writing

books and articles, promoting educational activities and dis-

seminating their own cultural heritage.

160

161

""TThhoossee wwhhoo ddoo ggoooodd wwiillll hhaavvee tthheebbeesstt aanndd mmoorree!! NNeeiitthheerr dduusstt nnoorr ddee--

bbaasseemmeenntt wwiillll ddaarrkkeenn tthheeiirr ffaacceess.. TThheeyyaarree tthhee CCoommppaanniioonnss ooff tthhee GGaarrddeenn,, rree--mmaaiinniinngg iinn iitt ttiimmeelleessssllyy,, ffoorr eevveerr.. BBuutt aassffoorr tthhoossee wwhhoo hhaavvee eeaarrnneedd bbaadd aaccttiioonnss------aa bbaadd aaccttiioonn wwiillll bbee rreeppaaiidd wwiitthh oonnee lliikkeeiitt.. DDeebbaasseemmeenntt wwiillll ddaarrkkeenn tthheemm.. TThheeyywwiillll hhaavvee nnoo oonnee ttoo pprrootteecctt tthheemm ffrroomm

GGoodd.. IItt iiss aass iiff tthheeiirr ffaacceess wweerree ccoovveerreeddbbyy ddaarrkk ppaattcchheess ooff tthhee nniigghhtt.. TThhoossee aarreetthhee CCoommppaanniioonnss ooff tthhee FFiirree,, rreemmaaiinniinngg

iinn iitt ttiimmeelleessssllyy,, ffoorr eevveerr.."" ((QQuurr''aann,, 1100::2266--2277))

very detail in this universe points to a superior cre-ation. By contrast, materialism, which seeks to deny

the fact of creation in the universe, is nothing but an unscien-tific fallacy.

Once materialism is invalidated, all other theories basedon this philosophy are rendered baseless. Foremost of them isDarwinism, that is, the theory of evolution. This theory, whichargues that life originated from inanimate matter through coin-cidences, has been demolished with the recognition that Allahcreated the universe. American astrophysicist Hugh Ross ex-plains this as follows:

Atheism, Darwinism, and virtually all the "isms" emanatingfrom the eighteenth to the twentieth century philosophies arebuilt upon the assumption, the incorrect assumption, that theuniverse is infinite. The singularity has brought us face to facewith the cause – or causer – beyond/behind/before the uni-verse and all that it contains, including life itself.64

162

It is Allah Who created the universe and Who designed itdown to its smallest detail. Therefore, it is impossible for thetheory of evolution, which holds that living things are butproducts of chance, to be true.

Unsurprisingly, when we look at the theory of evolution,we see that this theory is denounced by scientific findings. Thedesign in life is extremely complex and striking. In the inani-mate world, for instance, we can explore how sensitive are thebalances which atoms rest upon, and further, in the animateworld, we can observe in what complex designs these atomswere brought together, and how extraordinary are the mecha-nisms and structures such as proteins, enzymes, and cells,which are manufactured with them.

This extraordinary design in life invalidated Darwinismat the end of the 20th century.

We have dealt with this subject in great detail in some ofour other studies, and shall continue to do so. However, wethink that, considering its importance, it will be helpful to makea short summary here as well.

TTHHEE SSCCIIEENNTTIIFFIICC CCOOLLLLAAPPSSEE OOFF DDAARRWWIINNIISSMM

Although a doctrine going back as far as ancient Greece,the theory of evolution was advanced extensively in the 19thcentury. The most important development that made the the-ory the top topic of the world of science was the book byCharles Darwin titled The Origin of Species published in 1859.In this book, Darwin denied that Allah created different livingspecies on the earth separately. According to Darwin, all livingbeings had a common ancestor and they diversified over timethrough small changes.

The Evolution Misconception

163


Darwin's theory was notbased on any concrete scientificfinding; as he also accepted, itwas just an "assumption."Moreover, as Darwin confessedin the long chapter of his booktitled "Difficulties of theTheory," the theory was failingin the face of many criticalquestions.

Darwin invested all his hopes in new scientific discover-ies, which he expected to solve the "Difficulties of the Theory."However, contrary to his expectations, scientific findings ex-panded the dimensions of these difficulties.

The defeat of Darwinism against science can be reviewedunder three basic topics:

1) The theory can by no means explain how life originatedon the earth.

2) There is no scientific finding showing that the "evolu-tionary mechanisms" proposed by the theory have any powerto evolve at all.

3) The fossil record proves completely the contrary of thesuggestions of the theory of evolution.

In this section, we will examine these three basic points ingeneral outlines:

TTHHEE FFIIRRSSTT IINNSSUURRMMOOUUNNTTAABBLLEE SSTTEEPP::TTHHEE OORRIIGGIINN OOFF LLIIFFEEThe theory of evolution posits that all living species

evolved from a single living cell that emerged on the primitive

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Charles Darwin

earth 3.8 billion years ago. How a single cell could generate mil-lions of complex living species and, if such an evolution reallyoccurred, why traces of it cannot be observed in the fossil recordare some of the questions the theory cannot answer. However,first and foremost, of the first step of the alleged evolutionaryprocess it has to be inquired: How did this "first cell" originate?

Since the theory of evolution denies creation and does notaccept any kind of supernatural intervention, it maintains thatthe "first cell" originated coincidentally within the laws of na-ture, without any design, plan, or arrangement. According tothe theory, inanimate matter must have produced a living cellas a result of coincidences. This, however, is a claim inconsis-tent with even the most unassailable rules of biology.

""LLIIFFEE CCOOMMEESS FFRROOMM LLIIFFEE""In his book, Darwin never referred to the origin of life.

The primitive understanding of science in his time rested onthe assumption that living beings had a very simple structure.Since medieval times, spontaneous generation, the theory as-serting that non-living materials came together to form livingorganisms, had been widely accepted. It was commonly be-lieved that insects came into being from food leftovers, andmice from wheat. Interesting experiments were conducted toprove this theory. Some wheat was placed on a dirty piece ofcloth, and it was believed that mice would originate from itafter a while.

Similarly, worms developing in meat was assumed to beevidence of spontaneous generation. However, only some timelater was it understood that worms did not appear on meatspontaneously, but were carried there by flies in the form of lar-


165


vae, invisible to the naked eye. Even in the period when Darwin wrote The Origin of

Species, the belief that bacteria could come into existence fromnon-living matter was widely accepted in the world of science.

However, five years after the publication of Darwin'sbook, Louis Pasteur announced his results after long studiesand experiments, which disproved spontaneous generation, acornerstone of Darwin's theory. In his triumphal lecture at theSorbonne in 1864, Pasteur said, "Never will the doctrine of sponta-neous generation recover from the mortal blow struck by this simpleexperiment."65

Advocates of the theory of evolution resisted the findingsof Pasteur for a long time. However, as the development of sci-ence unraveled the complex structure of the cell of a livingbeing, the idea that life could come into being coincidentallyfaced an even greater impasse.

IINNCCOONNCCLLUUSSIIVVEE EEFFFFOORRTTSS IINN TTHHEE TTWWEENNTTIIEETTHH CCEENNTTUURRYYThe first evolutionist who took up the subject of the ori-

gin of life in the twentieth century was the renowned Russian

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French biologist Louis Pasteur

biologist Alexander Oparin. With various theses he advancedin the 1930's, he tried to prove that the cell of a living beingcould originate by coincidence. These studies, however, weredoomed to failure, and Oparin had to make the following con-fession: "Unfortunately, however, the problem of the origin ofthe cell is perhaps the most obscure point in the whole studyof the evolution of organisms."66

Evolutionist followers of Oparin tried to carry out experi-ments to solve the problem of the origin of life. The best knownof these experiments was carried out by American chemistStanley Miller in 1953. Combining the gases he alleged to haveexisted in the primordial earth's atmosphere in an experimentset-up, and adding energy to the mixture, Miller synthesizedseveral organic molecules (amino acids) present in the struc-ture of proteins.

Barely a few years had passed before it was revealed thatthis experiment, which was then presented as an importantstep in the name of evolution, was invalid, the atmosphereused in the experiment having been very different from realearth conditions.67

After a long silence, Miller confessed that the atmospheremedium he used was unrealistic.68

All the evolutionist efforts put forth throughout the twen-tieth century to explain the origin of life ended with failure.The geochemist Jeffrey Bada from San Diego Scripps Instituteaccepts this fact in an article published in Earth Magazine in1998:

Today as we leave the twentieth century, we still face the biggestunsolved problem that we had when we entered the twentiethcentury: How did life originate on Earth?69


167

TTHHEE CCOOMMPPLLEEXX SSTTRRUUCCTTUURREE OOFF LLIIFFEEThe primary reason why the theory of evolution ended up

in such a big impasse about the origin of life is that even the liv-ing organisms deemed the simplest have incredibly complexstructures. The cell of a living being is more complex than all ofthe technological products produced by man. Today, even inthe most developed laboratories of the world, a living cell can-not be produced by bringing organic chemicals together.

The conditions required for the formation of a cell are toogreat in quantity to be explained away by coincidences. Theprobability of proteins, the building blocks of cell, being syn-thesized coincidentally, is 1 in 10950 for an average proteinmade up of 500 amino acids. In mathematics, a probabilitysmaller than 1 over 1050 is practically considered to be impossi-ble.

The DNA molecule, which is located in the nucleus of thecell and which stores genetic information, is an incredible data-bank. It is calculated that if the information coded in DNAwere written down, this would make a giant library consistingof 900 volumes of encyclopaedias of 500 pages each.

A very interesting dilemma emerges at this point: theDNA can only replicate with the help of some

specialized proteins (enzymes). However,the synthesis of these en-

zymes can only be real-


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Allinformation about living beings is stored in the DNAmolecule. This incredibly efficient information storagemethod alone is a clear evidence thatlife did not come into being by chance, but has beenpurposely designed, or, better to say, marvellously created.

ized by the information coded in DNA. As they both depend oneach other, they have to exist at the same time for replication.This brings the scenario that life originated by itself to a dead-lock. Prof. Leslie Orgel, an evolutionist of repute from theUniversity of San Diego, California, confesses this fact in theSeptember 1994 issue of the Scientific American magazine:

It is extremely improbable that proteins and nucleic acids, both

of which are structurally complex, arose spontaneously in the

same place at the same time. Yet it also seems impossible to have

one without the other. And so, at first glance, one might have to

conclude that life could never, in fact, have originated by chem-

ical means. 70

No doubt, if it is impossible for life to have originatedfrom natural causes, then it has to be accepted that life was"created" in a supernatural way. This fact explicitly invalidatesthe theory of evolution, whose main purpose is to deny cre-ation.

IIMMAAGGIINNAARRYY MMEECCHHAANNIISSMMSS OOFF EEVVOOLLUUTTIIOONNThe second important point that negates Darwin's theory

is that both concepts put forward by the theory as "evolution-ary mechanisms" were understood to have, in reality, no evolu-tionary power.

Darwin based his evolution allegation entirely on themechanism of "natural selection". The importance he placed onthis mechanism was evident in the name of his book: TheOrigin of Species, By Means Of Natural Selection…

Natural selection holds that those living things that arestronger and more suited to the natural conditions of their habi-tats will survive in the struggle for life. For example, in a deer


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herd under the threat of attack by wild animals, those that canrun faster will survive. Therefore, the deer herd will be com-prised of faster and stronger individuals. However, unquestion-ably, this mechanism will not cause deer to evolve andtransform themselves into another living species, for instance,horses.

Therefore, the mechanism of natural selection has no evo-lutionary power. Darwin was also aware of this fact and had tostate this in his book The Origin of Species:

Natural selection can do nothing until favourable individualdifferences or variations occur.71

LLAAMMAARRCCKK''SS IIMMPPAACCTTSo, how could these "favourable variations" occur?

Darwin tried to answer this question from the standpoint ofthe primitive understanding of science in his age. According tothe French biologist Lamarck, who lived before Darwin, livingcreatures passed on the traits they acquired during their life-time to the next generation and these traits, accumulating fromone generation to another, caused new species to be formed.For instance, according to Lamarck, giraffes evolved from an-telopes; as they struggled to eat the leaves of high trees, theirnecks were extended from generation to generation.

Darwin also gave similar examples, and in his book TheOrigin of Species, for instance, said that some bears going intowater to find food transformed themselves into whales overtime.72

However, the laws of inheritance discovered by Mendeland verified by the science of genetics that flourished in the20th century, utterly demolished the legend that acquired traits

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were passed on to subsequent generations. Thus, natural selec-tion fell out of favour as an evolutionary mechanism.

NNEEOO--DDAARRWWIINNIISSMM AANNDD MMUUTTAATTIIOONNSSIn order to find a solution, Darwinists advanced the

"Modern Synthetic Theory", or as it is more commonly known,Neo-Darwinism, at the end of the 1930's. Neo-Darwinismadded mutations, which are distortions formed in the genes ofliving beings because of external factors such as radiation orreplication errors, as the "cause of favourable variations" in ad-dition to natural mutation.

Today, the model that stands for evolution in the world isNeo-Darwinism. The theory maintains that millions of livingbeings present on the earth formed as a result of a processwhereby numerous complex organs of these organisms such asthe ears, eyes, lungs, and wings, underwent "mutations," that


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Since the beginningof the century, evolu-tionists have beentrying to producemutations in fruitflies, and give this asan example for use-ful mutation.However, the onlyresult obtained atthe end of these ef-forts that lasted fordecades were disfig-ured, diseased, anddefective flies.


is, genetic disorders. Yet, there is an outright scientific fact thattotally undermines this theory: Mutations do not cause livingbeings to develop; on the contrary, they always cause harm tothem.

The reason for this is very simple: the DNA has a verycomplex structure and random effects can only cause harm toit. American geneticist B.G. Ranganathan explains this as fol-lows:

First, genuine mutations are very rare in nature. Secondly, mostmutations are harmful since they are random, rather than or-derly changes in the structure of genes; any random change in ahighly ordered system will be for the worse, not for the better.For example, if an earthquake were to shake a highly orderedstructure such as a building, there would be a random change inthe framework of the building which, in all probability, wouldnot be an improvement.73

Not surprisingly, no mutation example, which is useful,that is, which is observed to develop the genetic code, has beenobserved so far. All mutations have proved to be harmful. Itwas understood that mutation, which is presented as an "evo-lutionary mechanism," is actually a genetic occurrence thatharms living beings, and leaves them disabled. (The most com-mon effect of mutation on human beings is cancer). No doubt, adestructive mechanism cannot be an "evolutionary mechanism."Natural selection, on the other hand, "can do nothing by itself" asDarwin also accepted. This fact shows us that there is no "evolu-tionary mechanism" in nature. Since no evolutionary mecha-nism exists, neither could any imaginary process calledevolution have taken place.

172

TTHHEE FFOOSSSSIILL RREECCOORRDD:: NNOO SSIIGGNN OOFF IINNTTEERRMMEEDDIIAATTEE FFOORRMMSSThe clearest evidence that the scenario suggested by the

theory of evolution did not take place is the fossil record. According to the theory of evolution, every living species

has sprung from a predecessor. A previously existing speciesturned into something else in time and all species have comeinto being in this way. According to the theory, this transforma-tion proceeds gradually over millions of years.

Had this been the case, then numerous intermediaryspecies should have existed and lived within this long transfor-mation period.

For instance, some half-fish/half-reptiles should havelived in the past which had acquired some reptilian traits in ad-


173

The theory of evolutionclaims that living speciesgradually evolved from oneanother. The fossil record,however, explicitly falsifiesthis claim. For example, inthe Cambrian Period, some550 million years ago, tens oftotally distinct living speciesemerged suddenly. These liv-ing beings depicted in theabove picture have verycomplex structures. Thisfact, referred to as the"Cambrian Explosion" in sci-entific literature is plain evi-dence of creation.


dition to the fish traits they already had. Or there should haveexisted some reptile-birds, which acquired some bird traits inaddition to the reptilian traits they already had. Since thesewould be in a transitional phase, they should be disabled, de-fective, crippled living beings. Evolutionists refer to theseimaginary creatures, which they believe to have lived in thepast, as "transitional forms."

If such animals had really existed, there should be mil-lions and even billions of them in number and variety. Moreimportantly, the remains of these strange creatures should bepresent in the fossil record. In The Origin of Species, Darwin ex-plained:

If my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties, linkingmost closely all of the species of the same group together mustassuredly have existed... Consequently, evidence of their formerexistence could be found only amongst fossil remains.74

DDAARRWWIINN''SS HHOOPPEESS SSHHAATTTTEERREEDDHowever, although evolutionists have been making

strenuous efforts to find fossils since the middle of the 19thcentury all over the world, no transitional forms have yet beenuncovered. All the fossils unearthed in excavations showedthat, contrary to the expectations of evolutionists, life ap-peared on earth all of a sudden and fully-formed.

A famous British paleontologist, Derek V. Ager, admitsthis fact, even though he is an evolutionist:

The point emerges that if we examine the fossil record in detail,whether at the level of orders or of species, we find - over andover again - not gradual evolution, but the sudden explosion ofone group at the expense of another.75

174

This means that in the fossil record, all living species sud-denly emerge as fully formed, without any intermediate formsin between. This is just the opposite of Darwin's assumptions.Also, it is very strong evidence that living beings are created.The only explanation of a living species emerging suddenlyand complete in every detail without any evolutionary ances-tor can be that this species was created. This fact is admittedalso by the widely known evolutionist biologist DouglasFutuyma:

Creation and evolution, between them, exhaust the possible ex-

planations for the origin of living things. Organisms either ap-

peared on the earth fully developed or they did not. If they did

not, they must have developed from pre-existing species by

some process of modification. If they did appear in a fully de-

veloped state, they must indeed have been created by some om-

nipotent intelligence.76

Fossils show that living beings emerged fully developedand in a perfect state on the earth. That means that "the originof species" is, contrary to Darwin's supposition, not evolutionbut creation.

TTHHEE TTAALLEE OOFF HHUUMMAANN EEVVOOLLUUTTIIOONNThe subject most often brought up by the advocates of the

theory of evolution is the subject of the origin of man. TheDarwinist claim holds that the modern men of today evolvedfrom some kind of ape-like creatures. During this alleged evo-lutionary process, which is supposed to have started 4-5 mil-lion years ago, it is claimed that there existed some"transitional forms" between modern man and his ancestors.According to this completely imaginary scenario, four basic


175


"categories" are listed:

1. Australopithecus

2. Homo habilis

3. Homo erectus

4. Homo sapiens

Evolutionists call the so-called first ape-like ancestors of

men "Australopithecus" which means "South African ape."

These living beings are actually nothing but an old ape species

that has become extinct. Extensive research done on various

Australopithecus specimens by two world famous anatomists

from England and the USA, namely, Lord Solly Zuckerman

and Prof. Charles Oxnard, has shown that these belonged to an

ordinary ape species that became extinct and bore no resem-

blance to humans.77

Evolutionists classify the next stage of human evolution

as "homo," that is "man." According to the evolutionist claim,

the living beings in the Homo series are more developed than

Australopithecus. Evolutionists devise a fanciful evolution

176

The most important ele-ment of the propagandacampaign evolutionistsconduct by means of themedia is the way the ut-terly fictitious heroes oftheir accounts are de-picted as ape-like crea-tures. The aim behindthese imaginary represen-tations, that rest on noscientific basis whatso-ever, is to misinform thepublic and lead them tobelieve in evolution.

scheme by arranging different fossils of these creatures in aparticular order. This scheme is imaginary because it has neverbeen proved that there is an evolutionary relation betweenthese different classes. Ernst Mayr, one of the most importantproponents of the theory of evolution in the twentieth century,contends in his book One Long Argument that "particularly his-torical [puzzles] such as the origin of life or of Homo sapiens, are ex-tremely difficult and may even resist a final, satisfyingexplanation."78

By outlining the link chain as "Australopithecus > Homo ha-bilis > Homo erectus > Homo sapiens," evolutionists imply thateach of these species is one another's ancestor. However, recentfindings of paleoanthropologists have revealed thatAustralopithecus, Homo habilis and Homo erectus lived at dif-ferent parts of the world at the same time.79

Moreover, a certain segment of humans classified asHomo erectus have lived up until very modern times. Homosapiens neandarthalensis and Homo sapiens sapiens (modern man)co-existed in the same region.80

This situation apparently indicates the invalidity of theclaim that they are ancestors of one another. A paleontologistfrom Harvard University, Stephen Jay Gould, explains thisdeadlock of the theory of evolution although he is an evolu-tionist himself:

What has become of our ladder if there are three coexisting lin-eages of hominids (A. africanus, the robust australopithecines,and H. habilis), none clearly derived from another? Moreover,none of the three display any evolutionary trends during theirtenure on earth.81

Put briefly, the scenario of human evolution, which is


177


sought to be upheld with the help of various drawings of some"half ape, half human" creatures appearing in the media andcourse books, that is, frankly, by means of propaganda, is noth-ing but a tale with no scientific ground.

Lord Solly Zuckerman, one of the most famous and re-spected scientists in the U.K., who carried out research on thissubject for years, and particularly studied Australopithecusfossils for 15 years, finally concluded, despite being an evolu-tionist himself, that there is, in fact, no such family tree branch-ing out from ape-like creatures to man.

Zuckerman also made an interesting "spectrum of science."He formed a spectrum of sciences ranging from those he consid-ered scientific to those he considered unscientific. According toZuckerman's spectrum, the most "scientific" – that is, dependingon concrete data – fields of science are chemistry and physics.After them come the biological sciences and then the social sci-ences. At the far end of the spectrum, which is the part consid-ered to be most "unscientific," are "extra-sensory perception" –concepts such as telepathy and sixth sense–and finally "humanevolution." Zuckerman explains his reasoning:

We then move right off the register of objective truth into thosefields of presumed biological science, like extrasensory percep-tion or the interpretation of man's fossil history, where to thefaithful [evolutionist] anything is possible - and where the ar-dent believer [in evolution] is sometimes able to believe severalcontradictory things at the same time.82

The tale of human evolution boils down to nothing butthe prejudiced interpretations of some fossils unearthed by cer-tain people, who blindly adhere to their theory.

178

TTEECCHHNNOOLLOOGGYY IINN TTHHEE EEYYEE AANNDD TTHHEE EEAARR Another subject that remains unanswered by evolution-

ary theory is the excellent quality of perception in the eye andthe ear.

Before passing on to the subject of the eye, let us brieflyanswer the question of "how we see". Light rays coming froman object fall oppositely on the retina of the eye. Here, theselight rays are transmitted into electric signals by cells and theyreach a tiny spot at the back of the brain called the centre of vi-sion. These electric signals are perceived in this centre of thebrain as an image after a series of processes. With this technicalbackground, let us do some thinking.

The brain is insulated from light. That means that the in-side of the brain is solid dark, and light does not reach the loca-tion where the brain is situated. The place called the centre ofvision is a solid dark place where no light ever reaches; it mayeven be the darkest place you have ever known. However, youobserve a luminous, bright world in this pitch darkness.

The image formed in the eye is so sharp and distinct thateven the technology of the 20th century has not been able to at-tain it. For instance, look at the book you read, your hands withwhich you hold it, then lift your head and look around you.Have you ever seen such a sharp and distinct image as this oneat any other place? Even the most developed television screenproduced by the greatest television producer in the world can-not provide such a sharp image for you. This is a three-dimen-sional, colored, and extremely sharp image. For more than 100years, thousands of engineers have been trying to achieve thissharpness. Factories, huge premises were established, much re-search has been done, plans and designs have been made for this


179


purpose. Again, look at a TV screen and the book you hold inyour hands. You will see that there is a big difference in sharp-ness and distinction. Moreover, the TV screen shows you a two-dimensional image, whereas with your eyes, you watch athree-dimensional perspective having depth.

For many years, tens of thousands of engineers have triedto make a three-dimensional TV, and reach the vision quality ofthe eye. Yes, they have made a three-dimensional televisionsystem but it is not possible to watch it without putting onglasses; moreover, it is only an artificial three-dimension. Thebackground is more blurred, the foreground appears like apaper setting. Never has it been possible to produce a sharpand distinct vision like that of the eye. In both the camera andthe television, there is a loss of image quality.

Evolutionists claim that the mechanism producing thissharp and distinct image has been formed by chance. Now, ifsomebody told you that the television in your room wasformed as a result of chance, that all its atoms just happened tocome together and make up this device that produces animage, what would you think? How can atoms do what thou-sands of people cannot?

If a device producing a more primitive image than the eyecould not have been formed by chance, then it is very evidentthat the eye and the image seen by the eye could not have beenformed by chance. The same situation applies to the ear. Theouter ear picks up the available sounds by the auricle and di-rects them to the middle ear; the middle ear transmits thesound vibrations by intensifying them; the inner ear sendsthese vibrations to the brain by translating them into electricsignals. Just as with the eye, the act of hearing finalises in the

180

centre of hearing in the brain. The situation in the eye is also true for the ear. That is, the

brain is insulated from sound just like it is from light: it does notlet any sound in. Therefore, no matter how noisy is the outside,the inside of the brain is completely silent. Nevertheless, thesharpest sounds are perceived in the brain. In your brain, which isinsulated from sound, you listen to the symphonies of an orches-tra, and hear all the noises in a crowded place. However, if thesound level in your brain was measured by a precise device at thatmoment, it would be seen that a complete silence is prevailingthere.

As is the case with imagery, decades of effort have beenspent in trying to generate and reproduce sound that is faithfulto the original. The results of these efforts are sound recorders,


181

Despite their dozen ofyears of efforts, peo-ple have not been ableto provide visionwhich has the samesharpness and highquality as the vision ofan eye.


high-fidelity systems, and systems for sensing sound. Despiteall this technology and the thousands of engineers and expertswho have been working on this endeavour, no sound has yetbeen obtained that has the same sharpness and clarity as thesound perceived by the ear. Think of the highest-quality HI-FIsystems produced by the biggest company in the music indus-try. Even in these devices, when sound is recorded some of it islost; or when you turn on a HI-FI you always hear a hissingsound before the music starts. However, the sounds that arethe products of the technology of the human body are ex-tremely sharp and clear. A human ear never perceives a soundaccompanied by a hissing sound or with atmospherics as doesHI-FI; it perceives sound exactly as it is, sharp and clear. This isthe way it has been since the creation of man.

So far, no visual or recording apparatus produced by manhas been as sensitive and successful in perceiving sensory dataas are the eye and the ear.

However, as far as seeing and hearing are concerned, a fargreater fact lies beyond all this.

TTOO WWHHOOMM DDOOEESS TTHHEE CCOONNSSCCIIOOUUSSNNEESSSS TTHHAATT SSEEEESS AANNDD HHEEAARRSS WWIITTHHIINN TTHHEE BBRRAAIINN BBEELLOONNGG??Who is it that watches an alluring world in its brain, lis-

tens to symphonies and the twittering of birds, and smells therose?

The stimulations coming from the eyes, ears, and nose of ahuman being travel to the brain as electro-chemical nervous im-pulses. In biology, physiology, and biochemistry books, you canfind many details about how this image forms in the brain.However, you will never come across the most important fact

182

about this subject: Who is it that perceives these electro-chemical

nervous impulses as images, sounds, odours and sensory events

in the brain? There is a consciousness in the brain that perceives

all this without feeling any need for eye, ear, and nose. To whom

does this consciousness belong? There is no doubt that this con-

sciousness does not belong to the nerves, the fat layer and neu-

rons comprising the brain. This is why Darwinist-materialists,

who believe that everything is comprised of matter, cannot give


183

Someone who looks at a seal perceives it in his brain. Similarly, it is inhis brain that he investigates and examines the features of that creaturehe sees in his brain. The things he learns reveal to him the prefection ofGod's creation and the superiority of His wisdom and knowledge.


any answer to these questions.For this consciousness is the spirit God created. The spirit

needs neither the eye to watch the images, nor the ear to hearthe sounds. Furthermore, nor does it need the brain to think.

Everyone who reads this explicit and scientific fact shouldponder on Almighty God, should fear Him and seek refuge inHim, He Who squeezes the entire universe in a pitch-darkplace of a few cubic centimetres in a three-dimensional, col-ored, shadowy, and luminous form.

AA MMAATTEERRIIAALLIISSTT FFAAIITTHHThe information we have presented so far shows us that

the theory of evolution is a claim evidently at variance with sci-entific findings. The theory's claim on the origin of life is incon-sistent with science, the evolutionary mechanisms it proposeshave no evolutionary power, and fossils demonstrate that theintermediate forms required by the theory never existed. So, itcertainly follows that the theory of evolution should be pushedaside as an unscientific idea. This is how many ideas such asthe earth-centered universe model have been taken out of theagenda of science throughout history.

However, the theory of evolution is pressingly kept on theagenda of science. Some people even try to represent criticismsdirected against the theory as an "attack on science." Why?

The reason is that the theory of evolution is an indispens-able dogmatic belief for some circles. These circles are blindlydevoted to materialist philosophy and adopt Darwinism be-cause it is the only materialist explanation that can be put for-ward for the workings of nature.

184

Interestingly enough, they also confess this fact from timeto time. A well known geneticist and an outspoken evolution-ist, Richard C. Lewontin from Harvard University, confessesthat he is "first and foremost a materialist and then a scientist":

It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehowcompel us accept a material explanation of the phenomenalworld, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori ad-herence to material causes to create an apparatus of investiga-tion and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, nomatter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to theuninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, so we can-not allow a Divine Foot in the door. 83

These are explicit statements that Darwinism is a dogmakept alive just for the sake of adherence to the materialist phi-losophy. This dogma maintains that there is no being save mat-ter. Therefore, it argues that inanimate, unconscious mattercreated life. It insists that millions of different living species; forinstance, birds, fish, giraffes, tigers, insects, trees, flowers,whales and human beings originated as a result of the interac-tions between matter such as the pouring rain, the lightningflash, etc., out of inanimate matter. This is a precept contraryboth to reason and science. Yet Darwinists continue to defend itjust so as "not to allow a Divine Foot in the door."

Anyone who does not look at the origin of living beingswith a materialist prejudice will see this evident truth: All liv-ing beings are works of a Creator, Who is All-Powerful, All-Wise and All-Knowing. This Creator is God, Who created thewhole universe from non-existence, designed it in the mostperfect form, and fashioned all living beings.


185


TTHHEE TTHHEEOORRYY OOFF EEVVOOLLUUTTIIOONN IISS TTHHEE MMOOSSTTPPOOTTEENNTT SSPPEELLLL IINN TTHHEE WWOORRLLDDIt needs to be made clear that anyone free of prejudice and

the influence of any particular ideology, who uses only his rea-son and logic, will clearly understand that belief in the theoryof evolution, which brings to mind the superstitions of soci-eties with no knowledge of science or civilization, is quite im-possible.

As has been explained above, those who believe in thetheory of evolution think that a few atoms and moleculesthrown into a huge vat could produce thinking, reasoning pro-fessors, university students, scientists such as Einstein andGalileo, artists such as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra andPavarotti, as well as antelopes, lemon trees and carnations.Moreover, the scientists and professors who believe in thisnonsense are educated people. That is why it is quite justifiableto speak of the theory of evolution as "the most potent spell inhistory." Never before has any other belief or idea so takenaway peoples' powers of reason, refused to allow them to thinkintelligently and logically and hidden the truth from them as ifthey had been blindfolded. This is an even worse and unbe-lievable blindness than the Egyptians worshipping the SunGod Ra, totem worship in some parts of Africa, the people ofSaba worshipping the Sun, the tribe of the Prophet Abrahamworshipping idols they had made with their own hands or thepeople of the Prophet Moses worshipping the Golden Calf.

In fact, this situation is a lack of reason Allah pointed to inthe Qur'an. He reveals in many verses that some peoples'minds will be closed and that they will be powerless to see thetruth. Some of these verses are as follows:

186

As for those who disbelieve, it makes no difference to themwhether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not be-lieve. God has sealed up their hearts and hearing and overtheir eyes is a blindfold. They will have a terrible punish-ment. (Qur'an, 2: 6-7)

… They have hearts they do not understand with. They haveeyes they do not see with. They have ears they do not hearwith. Such people are like cattle. No, they are even furtherastray! They are the unaware. (Qur'an, 7: 179)

Even if We opened up to them a door into heaven, and theyspent the day ascending through it, they would only say, "Oureyesight is befuddled! Or rather we have been put under aspell!" (Qur'an, 15: 14-15)

Words cannot express just how astonishing it is that thisspell should hold such a wide community in thrall, keep peo-ple from the truth, and not be broken for 150 years. It is under-standable that one or a few people might believe in impossiblescenarios and claims full of stupidity and illogicality. However,"magic" is the only possible explanation for people from allover the world believing that unconscious and lifeless atomssuddenly decided to come together and form a universe thatfunctions with a flawless system of organization, discipline,reason and consciousness, the planet Earth with all its featuresso perfectly suited to life, and living things full of countlesscomplex systems.

In fact, Allah reveals in the Qur'an in the incident of theProphet Moses and Pharaoh that some people who supportatheistic philosophies actually influence others by magic.When Pharaoh was told about the true religion, he told theProphet Moses to meet with his own magicians. When the


187


Prophet Moses did so, he told them to demonstrate their abili-ties first. The verses continue:

He said, "You throw." And when they threw, they cast a spellon the people's eyes and caused them to feel great fear ofthem. They produced an extremely powerful magic. (Qur'an,7: 116)

As we have seen, Pharaoh's magicians were able to de-ceive everyone, apart from the Prophet Moses and those whobelieved in him. However, the evidence put forward by theProphet Moses broke that spell, or "swallowed up what theyhad forged" as the verse puts it.

We revealed to Moses, "Throw down your staff." And it imme-diately swallowed up what they had forged. So the Truth tookplace and what they did was shown to be false. (Qur'an, 7: 117-119)

As we can see from that verse, when it was realized thatwhat these people who had first cast a spell over others haddone was just an illusion, they lost all credibility. In the presentday too, unless those who under the influence of a similar spellbelieve in these ridiculous claims under their scientific dis-guise and spend their lives defending them abandon them,they too will be humiliated when the full truth emerges and thespell is broken. In fact, Malcolm Muggeridge, an atheistphilosopher and supporter of evolution admitted he was wor-ried by just that prospect:

I myself am convinced that the theory of evolution, especially

the extent to which it's been applied, will be one of the great

jokes in the history books in the future. Posterity will marvel

that so very flimsy and dubious an hypothesis could be ac-

cepted with the incredible credulity that it has.84

188

That future is not far off: On the contrary, people will soonsee that "chance" is not a god, and will look back on the theoryof evolution as the worst deceit and the most terrible spell inthe world. That spell is already rapidly beginning to be liftedfrom the shoulders of people all over the world. Many peoplewho see the true face of the theory of evolution are wonderingwith amazement how it was that they were ever taken in by it.


189

They said "Glory be to You!We have no knowledge except what

You have taught us.You are the All-Knowing,

the All-Wise."(Qur'an, 2: 32)


190

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Nezavissimaia Gazeta, Moskova, Le

Courrier International, No: 571, 11-17

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2. Asli Zülal, Biyolojik Silahlar,

(Biological Weapons), Bilim ve Teknik,

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4. http://www.terrorismfiles.org/or-

ganisations/basque_fatherland_and_li

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http://www.terrorismanswers.com/g

roups/ira.html

6. http://www.cia.gov/cia/di/prod-

ucts/terrorism/index.html

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http://www.teror.gen.tr/turkce/raka

mlarla/index.html

9.

http://www.worldtrek.org/odyssey/l

atinamerica/050899/050899team.html

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http://www.worldtrek.org/odyssey/l

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11. Philip Chard, Journal Sentinel, 24

September 2001, http://www.json-

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12. John L. Esposito, Islam: The

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13. Sahih Bukhari Hadith

14. Prophet Muhammed's Last Sermon

15. Andy Thomas, Islam Insanligin

Ruh (Islam is the Spirit of Humanity) ,

Timas Yayinlari, Istanbul, 1997, p.33

16. H.A.R. Gibb, Whither Islam,

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17. Prof. Robert Briffault, Insanligin

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/SA_WINC_4.htm, Andy Thomas,

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18. Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60,

Number 362


20. http://www.therevival.co.uk/arti-

cles/hadith_nonviolence.htm

21. Ali Bulac, Cagdas Kavramlar ve

Düzenler, Iz yayincilik, 16. Edition,

Istanbul, 1998, p. 241

22. Ali Bulac, Cagdas Kavramlar ve

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23. Hiristiyan Ahlaki, Turgay Ücal,

Derek Malcolm, Ön Asya Basim Yayin

Dagitim, Eylül 2000, s. 51

NOTES

191

Notes

24. http://www.agape-net.org/

(emphasis added)

25.

http://www.therevival.co.uk/arti-

cles/hadith_nonviolence.htm

26. Tirmidhi Hadith

27. Sahih Bukhari, Number 91

28.

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~alnu

r/ISLAM/PROPHET/sayings.htm

29. Sahih Bukhari, Book 8, Number

40

30. Imam Ghazzali's Ihya Ulum-Id-

Din, The Book of Religious

Learnings, Islamic Book Service,

New Delhi, 2001, Volume II, p.240

31. Miskhat Shareef

32. Sahih Muslim Hadith

33. Maulana Muhammad Manzoor

No'mani, Ma'ariful Hadith,

(Meaning and Message of the

Traditions), Darul – Ishaat

Publications, Karachi, Volume 4,

p.334

34. Shamaa-il Tirmidhi Contents,

(334) Hadith Number 9

35. Shamaa-il Tirmidhi, Islamic

Book Service Publications, New

Delhi, 2000, Islamic Book Service,

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Din (The Book of Religious

Learnings), Islamic Book Service,

New Delhi, 2001,VolumeIII, p.68

37. Sahih Bukhari, Islamic Book

Service Publications, New Delhi,

2002,Volume 3, p. 597

38. Riyad-us-Saliheen, Volume 2,

Compiled by Al-Imam Abu

Zakariya Yahya bin Sharaf An-

Nawawi Ad-Dimashqi, p. 1330




New Delhi, 2001,Volume III, p.124




New Delhi, 2001,Volume III, p.167


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43. Tirmidhi Hadith

44. Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 41,

Number 5097

45. Ahmad, 158/4

46. Bukhari

47. Ahmet Hamdi Akseki,

Abdurrahman Azzam Pasa'nin

"Allah'in Peygamberlerine emanet

ettigi ebedi risalet", Diyanet Isleri

Baskanligi Nesriyat, Ankara, 1948,

önsöz

48. The Constitution of Madina,

http://www.islamic-

study.org/jews-prophet-p.-2.htm

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http://www.islamic-

study.org/jews-prophet-p.-2.htm


50. Sir George Bernard Shaw in 'The

Genuine Islam,' 1936.,

http://www.geocities.com/Athens

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aw

51. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi,

Tarihce-i Hayat, Isparta

Hayati,p.2216


Emirdag Lahikasi, 2 cilt, p. 200


Tarihce-i Hayat, Isparta Hayati,

p.2216


Emirdag Lahikasi 2, p. 159


Tarihce-i Hayat, Isparta Hayati,

p.2216


Bediuzzaman Cevap Veriyor, pp. 9-

10

57. Beduizzaman Said Nursi, Risale-

i Nur Collections, Rays, 11.rays

58. Beduizzaman, Said Nursi,

Risale-i Nur Collections, Rays, 11.

Rays

59. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Barla

Lâhikasi - Takdim, p.1412


i Nur Collections, Rays, 12. Rays


i Nur Collections, Rays, 14. Rays

62. Beduizzaman, Said Nursi,

Risale-i Nur Collections, Rays, 14.

Rays

63. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Risale-

i Nur Kulliyati II, Divan-i Harbi

Orfi, Nesil Yayinlari, p. 1921

64. Hugh Ross, The Fingerprint of

God, p. 50

65. Sidney Fox, Klaus Dose,

Molecular Evolution and The Origin of

Life, W.H. Freeman and Company,

San Francisco, 1972, p. 4.

66. Alexander I. Oparin, Origin of

Life, Dover Publications, NewYork,

1936, 1953 (reprint), p. 196.

67. "New Evidence on Evolution of

Early Atmosphere and Life", Bulletin

of the American Meteorological Society,

vol 63, November 1982, p. 1328-

1330.

68. Stanley Miller, Molecular

Evolution of Life: Current Status of the

Prebiotic Synthesis of Small Molecules,

1986, p. 7.

69. Jeffrey Bada, Earth, February

1998, p. 40

70. Leslie E. Orgel, "The Origin of

Life on Earth", Scientific American,

vol. 271, October 1994, p. 78.

71. Charles Darwin, The Origin of

Species by Means of Natural Selection,

The Modern Library, New York, p.

127.


Species: A Facsimile of the First

Edition, Harvard University Press,

192

1964, p. 184.

73. B. G. Ranganathan, Origins?,

Pennsylvania: The Banner Of Truth

Trust, 1988, p. 7.


Species: A Facsimile of the First

Edition, Harvard University Press,

1964, p. 179.

75. Derek A. Ager, "The Nature of

the Fossil Record", Proceedings of

the British Geological Association, vol

87, 1976, p. 133.

76. Douglas J. Futuyma, Science on

Trial, Pantheon Books, New York,

1983. p. 197.

77. Solly Zuckerman, Beyond The

Ivory Tower, Toplinger Publications,

New York, 1970, pp. 75-94; Charles

E. Oxnard, "The Place of

Australopithecines in Human

Evolution: Grounds for Doubt",

Nature, vol 258, p. 389.

78. "Could science be brought to an

end by scientists' belief that they

have final answers or by society's

reluctance to pay the bills?"

Scientific American, December 1992,

p. 20.

79. Alan Walker, Science, vol. 207, 7

March 1980, p. 1103; A. J. Kelso,

Physical Antropology, 1st ed., J. B.

Lipincott Co., New York, 1970, p.

221; M. D. Leakey, Olduvai Gorge,

vol. 3, Cambridge University Press,

Cambridge, 1971, p. 272.

80. Jeffrey Kluger, "Not So Extinct

After All: The Primitive Homo

Erectus May Have Survived Long

Enough To Coexist With Modern

Humans," Time, 23 December 1996.

81. S. J. Gould, Natural History, vol.

85, 1976, p. 30.

82. Solly Zuckerman, Beyond The

Ivory Tower, p. 19.

83. Richard Lewontin, "The

Demon-Haunted World", The New

York Review of Books, 9 January,

1997, p. 28

84. Malcolm Muggeridge, The End

of Christendom, Grand Rapids:

Eerdmans, 1980, p. 43

Notes

193

194

The majority of people suppose that the theory ofevolution is a proved scientific fact. They believethat this so-called "scientific" guise underpins itsimpact on the world. Darwinism, however, is a su-perstitious religion that has masked the belief inevolution inherited from the Sumerians and the an-cient Greeks with the veil of 19th century science.What is the purpose of this idolatrous belief, whichhas come down to our age from ancient times, aswell as that of its founder, his so-called divinebook, and his missionaries? The covert aspects ofDarwinism are addressed in this book.

The Evolution Deceit has been published in manylanguages and created a sweeping effect acrossthe world. The purpose of the book is to displaythe basic scientific facts that disprove the theory ofevolution in every field and to make people awareof the inner truth, background and real purpose ofthis scientific fraud. The book is available inRussian, Arabic, French, Bulgarian, Bosnian,Italian, Malay, Spanish, Indonesian, German,Chinese and Albanian.

FRENCH

Fascism and communism are considered to be opposed ideas. However, these ideologies are fed from the same source,on the grounds of which they can attract masses to their side. This source is the materialist philosophy and its adaptationto nature, which is DARWINISM. The book is also available in French

ALSO BY HARUN YAHYA

GERMAN BOSNIAN ALBANIAN

RUSSIAN MALAY SPANISH ITALIAN INDONESIAN

URDU

FRENCH

BULGARIAN CHINESE

ARABIC SERBIAN

SERBIANINDONESIAN

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In the sayings of the ProphetMohammed, there are references toan auspicious period when themorals of the Qur'an will prevail in theuniverse. Because he used to depictthis age by paradise-like attributes,this period came to be called the"Golden Age". In this book, the envi-ronment in which people will live inthe Golden Age and the magnificent

beauties people will experience are told with relevant quota-tions from the Qur'an.

Some people try to deny theobvious existence of Allah, theCreator of the universe. Theytherefore attempt to justify allkinds of illogicality. In this bookwe together witness the twistedlogic resorted to by such peo-ple, who deny the wonders ofdesign and proofs of creationall around them by resorting tothe blind alley of pure chance.

Be sure to read this book, which includes the scientific miracles in the Qur'an, as well as some news given in the Qur'an aboutthe future. That some scientific facts proclaimed by the Qur'an 1,400 years ago have only recently been discovered by thedevelopment of technology and once more prove that the Qur'an is the word of Allah. Miracles of the Qur'an is also availablein Bosnian and Russian.

FRENCH

AZERI

INDONESIANALBANIAN

ARABICBOSNIAN RUSSIAN

CHINESE

In this book you will find explanations about eternity, time-lessness and spacelessness that you will never have en-countered anywhere else and you will be confronted by thereality that eternity has already begun. The real answers tomany questions people always ponder such as where Allahis, the true nature of death, resurrection after death, the ex-istence of an eternal life, and the time when all these thingswill happen are to be found here…

FRENCH INDONESIAN

In a body that is made up of atoms, you breathe in air, eatfood, and drink liquids that are all composed of atoms.Everything you see is nothing but the result of the collision ofelectrons of atoms with photons. In this book, the implausibil-ity of the spontaneous formation of an atom, the building-block of everything, living or non-living, is related and theflawless nature of Allah's creation is demonstrated. The bookis also available in Indonesian.

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Colours, patterns, spots even lines of each livingbeing existing in nature have a meaning. Forsome species, colours serve as a communicationtool; for others, they are a warning against ene-mies. Whatever the case, these colours are es-sential for the well-being of living beings. Anattentive eye would immediately recognise thatnot only the living beings, but also everything innature are just as they should be. Furthermore,he would realise that everything is given to the

service of man: the comforting blue colour of thesky, the colourful view of flowers, the bright green trees and meadows, the moon and stars illuminating the world inpitch darkness together with innumerable beauties surrounding man... This book is also available in Arabic andIndonesian.

Many societies that rebelled against the will of Allah or regarded Hismessengers as enemies were wiped off the face of the earth com-pletely... All of them were destroyed–some by a volcanic eruption, someby a disastrous flood, and some by a sand storm... Perished Nations examines these penalties as revealed in the verses ofthe Quran and in light of archaeological discoveries. Perished Nations isavailable in French, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Indonesian andGerman.

INDONESIANRUSSIAN

FRENCH SPANISH

ARABIC

GERMAN

Darwin said: "If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have beenformed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down." When you readthis book, you will see that Darwin's theory has absolutely broken down, just as he feared it would. The book is alsoavailable in Russian.

INDONESIAN ARABICRUSSIAN

PORTUGUESE

INDONESIANARABIC

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The main purpose of this bookis to fully reveal the plight of op-pressed Muslims across theworld, and to invite people ofconscience to think on this re-ality and look for solutions. Theexpected spring is, by the willof Allah, to come soon.

That people do not adopt the moralvalues of the Qur'an and submit toAllah underlie the personal and socialdepression, pain, fears and lack ofconfidence that is widely experiencedtoday. This book explains the detri-ments that disbelief gives to peopleand discloses the only way to salva-tion, which is submission to Allah.

The first part of this booklet,which includes summaries of allthe works of Harun Yahya, ismade up of striking passageshighlighting the basic ideas inHarun Yahya's works on varioustopics. In this part, you will wit-ness the sincere style of the au-thor, based on the Qur'an.Anyone who reads these booksseriously and carefully will soon gain a deep insightinto the true nature of the world he lives in.

In societies distant from religion,right is often presented as wrong,and vice versa. Unbecoming behav-iour which will not please Allah maybe favoured and encouraged.Romanticism is one of those wrongsentiments which is assumed to be"right". This book reveals what a se-rious threat romanticism – which isimagined to be a simple charactertrait – poses to societies and individ-uals, and shows how easy it is toeliminate this danger.

Today the theory of evolution is, in thewords of Dr. Michael Denton, a renownedmolecular biologist, "a theory in crisis."The crisis the theory faces leads evensome of its ardent believ´ers to make, nowand then, some confessions. In this book,you will find confessions made by evolu-tionist scientists about the theory theyplace their faith in. You will behold thathundreds of evolutionists, including

Charles Darwin, the founder of the theory, persist in their faith inthe theory even though they realise that the theory is totallybaseless, wrong, and even nonsense.

This book, which offers defini-tive solutions to the question ofPalestine, is also a call to theIsraelis, who are from thePeople of the Book. Anotherpoint highlighted in the book isthat the solution to thePalestinian question and manyother such disputes lies inbringing love, compassion andpeace to the world.

In recent years, there has been animportant development in Turkey.Materialist philosophy and the the-ory of evolution, which laid thebasis for materialist philosophy,has met a complete scientific de-feat. Surely such a situation stirredup real trouble among atheistswhose support came from the the-ory of evolution for decades.

Sensing more than just trouble, an atmosphere of seriouspanic accompanied by a sense of defeat pervades suchcircles. Driven by this psychology, they endeavour to keeptheir collapsed theory alive and meanwhile manifest ex-plicit delusions. In this book, these delusions are dealt withand claims about evolution are answered.

Fascism is an ideology that hasbrought great disasters to humanity.Not only has it caused millions ofpeople to be killed and tortured sim-ply because of their race, but it hasalso attempted to abolish all humanvalues. The main purpose of thebook is to present various fascisttendencies which appear under dif-ferent methods and guises, and ex-

pose their real origins and objectives. The book also attemptsto tear down the mask of fascism, and reveal that fascism isdefinitely an anti-religionist system.

This book includes Internetpages of Islamic organiza-tions, and various universities,where you can findHarunYahya's works, and reviewswritten by various scholars, to-gether with an account of thereactions from the fairs andconferences that have pre-sented the author's works.

"Everything that constitutes ourlife is a totality of perceptions re-ceived by our soul. All things thatmake our world and our livesmeaningful are like a dream; weperceive them only as images inour brain, and have nothing todo with their originals…" In thebook, which consists of a con-versation between four people,the prejudices that prevent people from understand-ing this great truth are removed, and the misconcep-tions they have are explained.

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People who are oppressed, who are tortured to death,innocent babies, those who cannot afford even a loaf ofbread, who must sleep in tents or even in streets in coldweather, those who are massacred just because theybelong to a certain tribe, women, children, and old peo-ple who are expelled from their homes because of theirreligion… Eventually, there is only one solution to the in-justice, chaos, terror, massacres, hunger, poverty, andoppression: the morals of the Qur'an.

The content of this book is an extremely important truththat astounded large numbers of people, and causedtheir outlook on life to change drastically. We can sum upthis reality like this: "All events, people, buildings, cities,cars, places, which are a part of our life in this world, inshort, everything we see, hold, touch, smell, taste andhear, are actually illusions and sensations that form in ourbrain."

Never plead ignorance of Allah's evident existence, thateverything was created by Allah, that you will not stayso long in this world, of the reality of death, that theQur'an is the Book of truth, that you will give account foryour deeds, of the voice of your conscience that alwaysinvites you to righteousness, of the existence of thehereafter and the day of account, that hell is the eternalhome of severe punishment, and of the reality of fate.

The way to examine the universe and all the beingstherein and to discover Allah's art of creation and an-nounce it to humanity is "science". Therefore, religionadopts science as a way to reach the details of Allah'screation and therefore encourages science. This book isabout this close link between science and religion. It isalso available in Russian.

Darwin's theory of evolution maintained that all liv-ing beings emerged as a result of chance coinci-dence and thus denied Creation. Yet the evidencethat was forthcoming proved to ´´be otherwise.Scientific developments did not favour the evolu-tionist standpoint and simply opposed it. Differentbranches of science like biochemistry, genetics, andpalaeontology have demonstrated that the claimsthat life originated as a result of "coincidences" isfoolish. This is a book you will read with pleasure

and as it makes explicitly clear why the theory of evo-lution is the greatest aberration in the history of sci-ence.

In this book, the behind the scenes story of the 1992-1995 war andmassacres is widely presented with documents from the past andour own time. Reading this book, you will learn about the historicaldevelopment of Serbian nationalism, and the relationships the lead-ers of the movement established with the British and French throughFreemasonry. You will read of the massacre of Bosnian Muslims bythe Chetniks in World War II, and the 'masonic' relationship betweenthe Chetniks and the American secret services. The book is alsoavailable in Bosnian.

GERMAN

ARABIC

INDONESIAN

BOSNIAN

GERMAN

RUSSIAN

INDONESIAN

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During the 1930's, German racists, theNazis, and Jewish racists, theZionists, formed a powerful and secretalliance. Their common purpose wasto deport the Jews living in Germanyand other areas under German occu-pation to Palestine. In this book, youwill read the inside story of the con-centration camps set up in the territo-ries under German occupation duringthe Second World War.

Both the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh)and many Islamic scholars have re-ferred to The Chapter of the Cave(Surat al-Kahf) in the Qur'an with greatemphasis. The purpose of this book isto make the reader ponder on theChapter of the Cave, whose verses in-clude important signs about our time,strive to unravel the mysteries hiddenin them with deep reflection, and thusto follow the Prophet's advice.

This book maintains that only love,tolerance and peace can eradicateterrorism and reveals, with quotationsfrom the Qur'an, the New Testamentand the Torah, that terrorism is a formof savagery condemned by all divinereligions. With examples from history,the book demonstrates that the onlyway to fight terrorism is to embracethe sentiments fostered by the valuesof religion, such as love, compassion,forgiveness, tolerance and justice.

If we put all the news we hear from themedia about peoples' turning to Islamtogether we can grasp the extraordi-nary course of events. The purpose ofthis book is to present all these devel-opments collectively, to analyze themand thus help readers to appreciate thedue importance of these events. Bydoing this, the book aims to increasebelievers' zeal and enthusiasm.

Much has been said and written aboutFreemasonry but little of the truth isknown. This book discloses the realidentity of the Freemasonry organiza-tion using the source of Masonry itself.

The New Masonic Order exposes a se-cret dynamic within world history thatstretches from the end of the MiddleAges to our own day, clearly demon-strating that the Secular World Orderwas established by certain powers andis still administered by them.

Dark relationships in a dark world,Mafia-Gladio-Secret Services, terror or-ganizations, and partners in terrorismwith different ideologies… This bookdemonstrates the unexpected connec-tions between those organizations andregimes that accept terrorism as a polit-ical expedient. It is proved with docu-mentary evidence how forces that claimto be fighting a war against terrorismadopt it for their own advantage.

The Templars were a shadowy me-dieval cult proscribed by a joint decisionof the King of France and the Pope.After being dispersed, the cult survivedunderground. The Templars developeda fierce opposition to the Church andthe divine religions in general, andeventually turned into the organizationwe know as the Freemasons. This bookexamines the secret history of thisTemplar/Masonic organization and

some of its influences on recent world and Turkish history.

The universe consists of extremelycomplex systems and numerous intri-cate balances, from the human body tothe sky, from animals to the deep re-cesses of the oceans. Each one ofthese is an evidence for creation. Theylead one to faith, and increase the faithof those who already believe. In thisbook, the author attempts to lift the veilof heedlessness in front of peoples'eyes, and to draw attention to the im-portance of conveying the evidences for creation across theuniverse to others.

Communism is an ideology that hascaused the death of some 100 millionpeople and brought oppression, per-secution, blood and tears to many acountry. So, where was communismborn, how did it grow, and how did itcome to an end? This book providesanswers to these questions and drawsattention to a grave menace. Well, hasthat menace disappeared now? Sadly,not: COMMUNISM WAITS IN AM-BUSH!

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Communist persecution has beenon the rise in all corners of Chinafor half a century. The worst-suffer-ing victims of this persecution arethe Muslims of Eastern Turkestan.As you will also see in this book,the basic reason behind Chineseoppression is the materialist phi-losophy and communist ideologypervading the state.

This book contains a greatdeal of information aboutFreemasonry, one of the mostsecretive organizations in theworld, and the links between itand various Jewish Zionists.

Darwinism is a theory that is in-jected into the minds of people likea magic charm. Fostered by ex-tremely illogical and unscientifictheses, attempts are made to im-pose this theory on people throughvarious methods of indoctrinationand propaganda. Some peoplewho are subjected to constant rep-etition of this topic are enticed bythis spell. The purpose of this book

is to save people from the charm of this magic by unveilingthe methods of the spell of Darwinism and the ways ofDarwinists who struggle to retain the power of their spell.

The theory of evolution has beenon the agenda for 150 years,deeply affecting numerous peo-ples' outlook on life. It imposes onthem the lie that they are an "ani-mal species" that came into beingas a result of coincidences. In thisbook, commonly asked questionsabout the theory of evolution andevolutionary claims on these is-sues are answered.

In these two books, scientific and intelligent an-swers to deceptive news stories that have ap-peared in newspapers and magazines in Turkey oflate are gathered together. As will be seen from thereplies to the claims of the theory of evolution inthese books, all news items that defend or makepropaganda for the theory of evolution are wrongand deceptive. Because evolution never hap-pened. Life is not the product of blind coincidencesand lifeless, unconscious atoms, as evolutionholds. Life is the work of Allah, a Superior Creator,

Who possesses infinite power, knowledge, and wis-dom.

Ruling over the world of science in the 19th century, the materialist philosophy had pro-posed that the universe is an uncontrolled heap of matter that existed since eternity. Thediscoveries made in the twentieth century, however, entirely refuted this materialist claim.Today, science has proven that the universe was created from nothing with a Big Bang.Moreover, all physical balances of the universe are designed to support human life.Everything from the nuclear reactions in stars to the chemical properties of a carbon atomor a water molecule, is created in a glorious harmony. This is the exalted and flawless cre-ation of Allah, the Lord of All the Worlds. This book is also available in French, Russian, andIndonesian.

FRENCH RUSSIAN GERMAN ALBANIAN

INDONESIAN

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Volume 1 consists of all of Harun Yahya's articles ona number of subjects between 1994 and 2000.Some of the headings in the volume are:Peace between Israel and the PLO: The other sideof the coin, The reason for Ehud Barak's visit,Chinese oppression in East Turkes-tan must not beignored, A halt must now be called to the humantragedy in Chechnya.Volume 2 reveals examples of the perfect creation ofAllah in the heavens and on the Earth. Some of the

headings are: Termites: The blind architects, The microscopic factories in leaves, The flawless design in water, and Theorder in the heavens.Volume 3 consists of some articles published between October 2000 and January 2001.

How was matter and time created from nothingness? Whatdoes the Big Bang theory signify about the creation of theuniverse? How can a time slice of centuries in our view be asingle "moment" in another dimension? What is the paral-lelism between Einstein's Theory of Relativity and theQur'anic verses? All of these questions are answered in thisbook where it is described that time and matter are not ab-solute truths but mere perceptions.

One of the major reasons why people feel a profoundsense of attachment to life and cast religion aside is theassumption that life is eternal. However, the world is atemporary place specially created by Allah to test man.That is why, it is inherently flawed and far from satisfyingman's endless desires. This book explains this most im-portant essence of life and leads man to ponder the realplace to which he belongs, namely the Hereafter.

In this book, you will see the wise, planned and calculatedfunctions performed with an incredible consciousness by theorganelles in the cell, which are unlikely to have beencaused by these organic components themselves. As youread the book, you will also witness that no beings, living ornon-living, could have been the result of unconscious coinci-dences but are the work of the superior might, knowledgeand artistry of Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.

There are countless laws in the cosmos and the planetEarth on which we live. The collection of millions of bal-ances and measures result in a seamless "string ofmiracles". This book aims to display various examples ofthe miracles of creation in the universe, thus giving thereader an insight into the infinite might and artistry ofAllah.

Scientific discoveries and evidence reveal one unalterable truth: Life didnot emerge as the result of a chain of coincidences, as evolutionistsclaim. The truth revealed by science today is that everything was createdaccording to a flawless plan. The aim of this encyclopedic study is to givethe reader the most accurate and easily accessible information on allmatters concerning evolution. This will allow the reader to acquire themost practical, correct and reliable information regarding all those con-cepts and terms linked to the theory of evolution as it appears in thepress, in books and magazines, and on TV programs.

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ARABIC ARABIC

URDU

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This book maintains that the source of the scourge of terrorism does not come from a divine religion, and that there is no roomfor terrorism in Islam. It is revealed, in the light of the verses of the Koran and with examples from history, that Islam forbidsterrorism and aims to bring peace and security to the world. Islam Denounces Terrorism is also available in German.

INDONESIANGERMAN CHINESE

In the Qur'an, Allah praises theProphet Ibrahim in the words "Youhave an excellent example in Ibrahimand those with him" (Qur'an, 60: 4)The aim of this book is to introducethe Prophet Ibrahim and his contem-porary, the Prophet Lut, and to giveexamples of all their superior quali-ties.

Surah Joseph of the Qur'an is al-most entirely about the life of theProphet Joseph and his family. Inthis book, you will read about thelife of the Prophet Joseph, whowent through various difficultiessince his childhood and was latergiven to the control of the treasuresof Egypt, in the light of Qur'anicverses and striking explanations.

The tower in question here is yourbody, and the little room at the top ofthat tower-which is, in fact, yourwhole world-is your brain. What youread in this book will most probablybe quite different from the ideas andconcepts you may have been familiarwith so far. What is explained in thebook, however, is not a philosophicaltreatise but a concrete fact proved byscience. It is impossible to deny thisfact within the boundaries of reason and logic.

When we look at Buddhism in thelight of the verses of the Qur'an,we see that this belief is built ontwisted teachings, contains pecu-liar acts of worship incompatiblewith human reason and logic, andturns man towards idolatry. Thisbook reveals all the deviant as-pects of this superstitious religion.

The purpose of this book is to re-mind believers of love for Allah andHis creation and the believers, andto show those who deny Him thescale of the tragedy and sufferingthat lack of love, a prime feature ofdeniers of Allah, can inflict in a per-son. All believers must avoid thissituation, start to relive their love ofheaven while still in this world anddevote themselves with love andloyalty to their only friend and pro-tector, Allah.

Moses is the prophet whose life ismost narrated in the Qur'an. TheQur'an provides a very detailed ac-count of his struggle with Pharaoh,the unfavourable conduct of his peo-ple and the way the Prophet Mosessummoned them to the way of Allah.This book provides a thorough ex-amination into the life of the ProphetMoses in the light of the Qur'anicverses.

Muslims who follow in the foot-steps of the Prophet Mohammed(pbuh) should be a role model forall people, with their excellentcharacter and good manners, andinvite everyone to goodness, bothverbally and in writing. The pur-pose of this book is to present theProphet Mohammed (pbuh) in allthe aspects of his character, show

how superior a community made up of individuals whoemulate his character will be, and call people to the way ofthe Prophet Mohammed (pbuh).

The Prophet Solomon is a prophet onwhom Allah bestowed a great domin-ion, a unique splendor, very strongarmies supported by the jinn andbirds, and superior wisdom. The pur-pose of this book is to present theProphet Solomon, whom Allahgranted superiority in many aspects,with his traits as described in theQur'an and make people ponder theexemplary character of this chosenservant of Allah.

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INDONESIAN URDUFRENCH AZERI

Have you ever thought that you were non-existent before you were born and suddenly appeared on Earth? Have you everthought that the peel of a banana, melon, watermelon or an orange each serve as a quality package preserving the fruit'sodour and taste?Man is a being to which Allah has granted the faculty of thinking. Yet a majority of people fail to employ this faculty as theyshould… The purpose of this book is to summon people to think in the way they should and to guide them in their efforts tothink.

This book includes various viewsand information about The Beast ofthe Earth (Dabbat al-Ard), which ispointed to as one of the signs of thelast day in the Qur'an, and variouspress coverage of the subject.

Some of the sayings of the ProphetMohammed have to do with thesigns of the last day. Besides offer-ing information about the signs ofthe last day, He also gave explana-tions about the period preceding thelast day. In this book, the signs ofthe last day are examined in thelight of the verses and the sayings ofthe Prophet Mohammed.

The land-hungry, colonialist andracist ideology of Zionism has beenshedding blood in the Middle Eastfor more than half a century now.Yet the West in particular fails torecognize Zionism's true face and isunaware of its real plan. This bookreveals the necessary solutions ifpeace is to be constructed in theMiddle East.

Western societies suffered from allkinds of spiritual and material tormentsbrought about by the materialist men-tality throughout. Finally, however, theyhave come to realize that the only wayto be saved from this dreadful life isturning to Allah. This book welcomesthis development and gives an accountof world-renowned politicians andcelebrities who have turned towards re-ligion and Allah.

Some religious people think thatthe theory of evolution is a scien-tific fact and look for a "middle way"between this theory and belief inAllah. However, in truth, the ideo-logical framework behind the the-ory consists of anti-religiousthought put forward to strengthenatheism. This book is aimed at of-fering a response to those Muslimswho try to find common ground be-

tween the theory of evolution and the fact of creation, andwho even try to find evidence for the theory in the Qur'an.

This book considers Satanism in all itsaspects, and concentrates on the rea-sons why this philosophy, which turnsviolence and savagery into a religiousrite and regards bloody killings as actsof worship, should have become sowidespread. It is a fact that Satanismhas spread, and is particularly influen-tial among young people. Yet it is easyto combat this twisted belief: Themorality of the Qur'an is the only wayto save young people from the clutches of Satanism.

This book gets into detail on the issueof origins and makes a comprehen-sive and technical refutation ofDarwinist theory. As it is mentioned inthe book, anyone who still defends thetheory of evolution has to come intoterms with this book and face its chal-lenge. Otherwise, he will de facto ac-cept that his allegiance to the theory ofevolution is a non-scientific approachbut a materialistic dogma.

On the world agenda, "America'sKurdish Card" has been the sub-ject of much debate. There is infact another country whose inti-mate involvement in the Kurdishquestion has long been conve-niently overlooked. This bookstrips away the duplicity anddemonstrates the key role playedby Israel, the other country, in theKurdish question.

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In this book, you will read some veryimportant truths about different as-pects of life. Many interesting sub-jects, from the signs of creation, tothe impasses of the theory of evolu-tion, from the real reason for thechaos and confusion in the world tosolutions to it, are to be found in thisbook in a striking and convincing ac-count.

Read about how the entire world testifiesto the collapse of the theory of evolution,the demagogies and distortions theDarwinists' propaganda includes, the realface of the communists and fascists whohave for a long time led mankind from onedisaster to another, and similar truths, writ-ten in a precise and lucid style.

This book sets out the main lines of the va-riety of life and the opportunities this af-fords us. In addition, it shows just howirrational and unscientific the evolutionistclaims regarding life and the wealth ofspecies that exist truly are. The emptinessand invalidity of such Darwinist conceptsas "speciation" and "macro-evolution" arefully detailed. It also discusses, in full sci-entific detail, subjects so determinedly put

forward at every available opportunity by evolutionists as "funda-mental proof'" of their theory, and these are shown in reality to offerno support to the theory of evolution at all.

This book examines freemasonry-thegreatest architect of the current worldorder based on materialist philoso-phy-which keeps its true identityclosely guarded. The first volume ofthe book presents the philosophy offreemasonry, and provides a detailedaccount of how this philosophy infil-trated first into the West, and then intoother civilizations of the world. Themain theme of the first volume can be summed up as "the his-tory of the war that freemasonry waged against religion."

Have you ever thought that you were non-existent before youwere born and suddenly appeared on Earth? Have you everthought that the peel of a banana, melon, watermelon or an or-ange each serve as a quality package preserving the fruit'sodour and taste?Man is a being to which Allah has granted the faculty of think-ing. Yet a majority of people fail to employ this faculty as theyshould… The purpose of this book is to summon people tothink in the way they should and to guide them in their effortsto think. Deep Thinking is also available in Indonesian.

INDONESIANFRENCH

A person who examines any corner of the universe sees aflawless plan incorporating both order and design.Everywhere in the universe there prevails an admirable glory.This glory is the superior and matchless artistry of Allah, Whocreates everything without any preceding example, Who is thesource of every beauty, and Who is the Owner of all beings.The book is also available in Russian.

ARABICRUSSIAN

One of the purposes why the Qur'an was revealed is to summon people to think about creation and its works. When a person ex-amines his own body or any other living thing in nature, the world or the whole universe, in it he sees a great design, art, plan andintelligence. All this is evidence proving Allah's being, unit, and eternal power. For Men of Understanding was written to make thereader see and realise some of the evidence of creation in nature. Many living miracles are revealed in the book with hundreds ofpictures and brief explanations. For Men of Understanding is also available in Russian, German, French, Indonesian and Urdu.

URDUFRENCHGERMAN INDONESIAN

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The most important responsibility of man is to glorify his Creator, Who created him from non-existence and granted him what-ever he possesses. The purpose of this series of books is to display the beauties of the creation of Allah by showing the di-versity of living things so that readers may marvel and praise their Creator.

The evidence of Allah's creation is present every-where in the universe. A person comes across manyof these proofs in the course of his daily life; yet if hedoes not think deeply, he may wrongly considerthem to be trivial details. In fact in every creaturethere are great mysteries to be pondered. These mil-limeter-sized animals that we frequently comeacross but don't care much about have an excellentability for organization and specialization that is notto be matched by any other being on earth. These

aspects of ants create in one a great admiration forAllah's superior power and unmatched creation. Thebook is also available in Urdu and Indonesian.

Your views of so many things willchange after reading this book.The ant you see on the street willno longer be just an "ordinary" lit-tle animal, because this book willhave explained that it is in fact anexpert chemist that produces"formic acid." You will see howbutterflies and insects use spe-cial scents to communicate withone another. All these things areknowledge given us by Allah, through this book, to revealHis infinite power and artistry. This knowledge will affordyou a closer look at the beauties and miracles around you,and will lead you to think deeply about them.

Medicine and biology books say thatwe owe our senses of smell and tasteto our nose, tongue and brain. It is truethat we smell and taste with the help ofthese organs. But to whom do we oweour nose and brain? The purpose ofthis book is to reveal the facts of cre-ation in these systems, thus helpingthe reader to contemplate the bound-less knowledge and power of Allah,and to have a full grasp of His infiniteblessings.

This book gives an insight into somegood moral aspects of the Karma phi-losophy which are in agreement withthe Koran, as well as its twisted viewswhich conflict with human reason andconscience. The book also explainswhy following Allah's way and living bythe Qur'an is the only way to real happi-ness, peace, and security.

Devil has found allies for himself inevery age. The anti-Christ, whowill emerge as the greatest nega-tive power in the end times, is oneof them. The purpose of this bookis to portray the anti-Christ in all itsfeatures as described in the say-ings of the Prophet Muhammadand to draw attention to this devil-ish power.

With their photosynthesis systemsconverting light to food, their mecha-nisms that ceaselessly produce en-ergy and oxygen, and their aestheticqualities, plants are special forms oflife that reveal Allah's infinite knowl-edge. In this book, you will exploreone very important property of plants,namely, photosynthesis, thus testify-ing to the miracles Allah created in

these living things.

This book explores the progressmade by biomimetics and bio-mimicry by taking the perfect sys-tems in nature as models. Thebook also explains that all the in-telligent mechanisms that leaveevolutionists floundering are thework of Allah, the Lord of all theworlds.

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Self-sacrifice, love, co-operation, compassion, caring. Thesetraits are accepted as examples of good morals in all societies.This book is also about these attributes. Here, however, thecreatures who engage in self-sacrifice, co-operate, and exhibitcompassionate behaviour are not human beings but animals. Allthese are those traits of living beings that cannot be explainedby evolution and they are evident signs of Allah's creation.

When the events of "sickness" and "recovering" take place,our bodies become a battleground in which a bitter struggleis taking place. The body however has a mechanism thatcombats them. This system proves that the human body isthe outcome of a unique design that has been planned witha great wisdom and skill. In other words, the human body isthe evidence of a flawless creation, which is the peerlesscreation of Allah. The Miracle of the Immune System is alsoavailable in Indonesian.

The creation of man, who is endowed with a highly complicatedbody structure, from a drop of water, comes about through anextraordinary course of development. This development cer-tainly does not happen as the result of an idle process, and ran-dom coincidences, but is a conscious act of creation. This bookis about the details of the "miracle in man's creation".

ARABICINDONESIAN

In the Qur'an it is stated "Surely Allahis not ashamed to set forth any para-ble- (that of) a gnat or any thing abovethat..." (Surat al-Baqara: 26), becauseeven so tiny a creature is full of thesigns of Allah's excellent creation. Byexamining this tiny animal, one comesto realize that life had to have beencreated by a Creator.

Just as a tiny key opens a huge door, thisbook will open new horizons for its read-ers. And the reality behind that door is themost important reality that one can comeacross in one's lifetime. Relating theamazing and admirable features of spi-ders known by few people and asking thequestions of "how" and "why" in theprocess, this book reveals the excellenceand perfection inherent in Allah's creation.

The cell is a main subject taught in biologyclasses, but what is taught in theseclasses is quickly forgotten after school.The reason is that in school, all that is re-lated is the "what" of the cell; never isthere any mention of "how" this extraordi-nary biological machine could have comeinto being. This is because the "scientists"know that there is no answer to the ques-tion that is sure to follow "Then who cre-

ated the cell?" other than acknowledging the existence of aCreator.

This book reveals the "miracle in theeye" In it, you will find a description of aperfect system and the story of the un-believable events taking place behindthe hundreds of eyes we see eachday... As in all the books of this series,this one discusses the theory of evolu-tion in detail and the collapse of thattheory is proven once more. When youread the book, you will see how rightDarwin was when he said "The thought of the eye makes mecold all over."

Even when you think that you are alonein your home, you are actually sur-rounded by many tiny creatures. Thisbook shows how the creatures in themicroworld reveal the superior wisdom,artistry and might in Allah's creation,and how they put the evolutionists into aterrible quandary.

In the Qur'an, Allah draws our atten-tion to a number of creatures andsummons man to ponder them. Thehoneybee is one of these. In Surat an-Nahl, "The sura of the honeybee", weare told that this creature's behaviouris inspired by Allah to produce honey,a benefit for man. Details concerningthe life of honeybees indeed furnishevidence for the creation of Allah.

ARABIC

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Omar meets his friend, the honeybee, in a tripto a forest. The honeybee tells him how theybuild honeycombs, what kind of an order thereis in their hive, and many other things. At theend of this visit, Omar learns that it is our Lord,Allah, Who taught honeybees everything theyknow. This book is also published in Frenchand Bosnian.

RUSSIAN FRENCH INDONESIAN

BOSNIAN ARABIC

This book has been written with a dif-ferent aim in mind to other booksabout biology, biochemistry and ge-netics. This book is intended to showpeople the superior power, intelli-gence, and the incomparable and infi-nite knowledge in the creation of Allah

While reading this book, imagine you aretaking a journey inside your own body.During this journey, you will witnessmiraculous events taking place every-where inside you, beginning from just afew millimetres beneath your skin to thevery depths...

Everyone knows that plants come fromseeds. However hardly anyone gives athought to how plants of such diversekinds come out of a wood-like bit, howthe information about these plants isplaced in their seeds, or how this infor-mation is individually decoded. Thisbook answers all these questions andreveals that seeds are pieces of evi-dence of Allah's infinite power.

The purpose of this book is to displaythe miraculous features of plants andhence to make people see "the creationmiracle" in things they often encounterin the flow of their daily lives and side-step. Reading and understanding thisbook will be an important step in comingto an understanding of one's Creator.

The creature this book is about is aspecies of insect we do not generally seearound us. This creature is the termite,whose bodies and lifestyles rather re-semble those of ants. Some people maythink there is not much to say about asmall insect. But you will see that thatopinion is mistaken when you read aboutthe properties termites possess.

The information hidden inside DNAcontrols the thousands of differentevents that take place in the cells ofthe human body and in the functioningof its systems. In the same way thatevery book has a writer and owner, sodoes the information in DNA: and thatCreator is our Lord Allah, the All-Wise.

In this book, we will tell you about thepower of Allah, who created yourmother, father, friends, all other people,animals, plants, shortly all living things,the Earth, the Sun, the Moon and the en-tire universe. We will talk about themight and infinite knowledge of our Lordand what He wants us to do and not todo. Do not forget, these are very impor-tant matters, which will benefit you

100 trillion cells in your body meet allyour bodily needs thanks to a perfectcommunication system. This is carriedout by your hormones. The main thrustof this book is to display the impossibil-ity of the coincidental formation of theextraordinary systems in living things,and to show the perfection in the cre-ation of Allah with examples.

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Have you ever thought about the vast dimensions ofthe universe we live in? As you read this book, you willsee that our universe and all the living things thereinare created in the most perfect way by our Creator,Allah. You will learn that Allah created the sun, themoon, our world, in short, everything in the universe sothat we may live in it in the most peaceful and happyway. This children's book is also available in Russian.

When you read this book you, along with Yusuf, will learna great deal about beavers. You will learn that Yusuf's newfriends build intricate constructions with innate skills. Andfinally, you will learn that it is Allah, the Creator of all of us,Who endowed them with these skills.

INDONESIANRUSSIAN

Children! Have you ever askedyourself questions like these:How did our earth come into ex-istence? Where were you beforeyou were born? How did oceans,trees, animals appear on earth?Who was the first human being?In this book you will find the trueanswers to these questions.

Dear kids, while readingthis book you will see howAllah has created all thecreatures in the mostbeautiful way and howevery one of them show usHis endless beauty, powerand knowledge. The Worldof Animals is also avail-able in French andRussian.RUSSIAN

SERBIAN

INDONESIAN

FRENCH

What do you think about ants? Do youknow about their abilities and intelligentbehaviour? Do you know why Omar is fas-cinated by the little world of the ants? Ifyou want to learn the answers to thesequestions, read this book. This book isalso available in French, Russian,Bosnian and German.

FRENCH GERMAN BOSNIAN

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Believers abide firmly by the moralityrevealed by Allah. They remain loyalto and obey, without the slightest hes-itation, the prophets. Fearlessly andsteadfastly, they think only of the lifeof the hereafter and try to gain thegood pleasure of Allah. Not even themost trying circumstances can shaketheir loyalty to Him in the least. On thecontrary, their devotion and loyalty toAllah grow even stronger. This bookexplains the concept of "loyalty," so wrongly interpreted bythose who live in ignorance of the Qur'an, and even quite un-known to most of them.

Everyone has some knowledgeand convictions about Islam.However, the majority of theseconvictions have their origins ininadequate or incorrect sources.Actually, what one has to do toknow Islam is to study theQur'an, which comprises the ori-gin and basis of Islam. Based onthe information conveyed in the

Qur'an, this book gives an account of Allah's attributes,our purpose in this world, what we have to do to fulfill thispurpose.

In the Qur'an, Allah tells people manysecrets. People who are unaware ofthese secrets experience the troubleand distress caused by this through-out their lives. For those who learnthese secrets of the Qur'an, however,the life of this world is very easy, andfull of joy and excitement. This bookdeals with the subjects Allah relatedto people as a secret.

The Qur'an has been sent downas a book easily understandableby everyone. However, those whofail to measure Allah with His truescale, interpret the verses of theQur'an wrongly in their owncrooked reasoning. In this book,the reasons why those peoplemisinterpret the Qur'an are exam-ined and some examples of the

objections they make are re-viewed and answered.

These booklets deal with how materialist philosophy, which draws support from the primitive understanding of science of the19th century, has been invalidated in the face of the fact that the universe and living things have been created. The bookletsalso include discussions on various subjects, such as the secret beyond matter, the ideological aspect of Darwinism, and theincredibly complex structures of creatures which Darwin thought to be so simple.

Children, the wide world youenter as you read this book isone of enormous concern toyou. You may not have realizedit so far, but trillions of workersare currently working on yourbehalf in this giant world. Youwill learn how these workers inyour body, the wide world inquestion, are cells, far too smallto be visible to the naked eye.

Countless species live on the earth,some of which you will be familiarwith, and others not. Each one ofthese creatures, from the dogs orcats which you come across everyday, to the wild animals living in thejungle, have wonderful features andfascinating abilities. All of these are areflection of Allah's infinite power andartistry. In this book, you will readabout the interesting features and amazing accomplishmentsof these wonderful creatures.

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In the Qur'an, there is an explicit ref-erence to the "second coming of theJesus to the world". The realisation ofsome information revealed in theQur'an about Jesus can only be pos-sible by Jesus' second coming…

A study that examines and seeks toremind us of the basic moral princi-ples of the Qur'an, particularlythose that are most likely to be for-gotten or neglected at times.

BENGOLIGERMAN

This book has been prepared to demon-strate that the Qur'an is the word of Allah, itis a guide and a reminder, it addresseseveryone in the world, and its pronounce-ments are valid for all times, right from thetime of its revelation. It is therefore the mostimportant source everyone must refer to.For man to be guided to the truth, it is imper-ative that he know Islam and comprehendthe verses of the Qur'an.

Allah, in the Qur'an, calls the culture ofpeople who are not subject to the religionof Allah "ignorance." The purpose of thisbook is to take this comparison further,displaying the extent of the "crude under-standing" of ignorant societies.

In this book, all ideologies basedon disbelief are referred to as"the religions of irreligion." That issimply because these ideologieshave in time evolved to becomereligions with a complete systemof beliefs, practices, and rules forconducting one's daily life.

That people do not adopt themoral values of the Qur'an andsubmit to Allah underlie the per-sonal and social depression,pain, fears and lack of confi-dence that is widely experiencedtoday. This book explains thedetriments that disbelief gives topeople.

In order for justice to reign onthe Earth, a morality that willmake people leave their own in-terests aside in favour of justiceis needed. This morality is theQur'anic morality that Allahteaches and commands us.

"The religion of worship-pingpeople," is a superstitious beliefthat encourages man to forsakeAllah and to worship people. Thisbook describes with examplesfrom our day the structure of thissatanic system, which endangerspeople's earthly lives as well astheir eternal lives in the hereafterand urges people to take Allah'screatures as idols instead of worshipping Him.

One of the principal deceptions that impelpeople into delinquency is the fact thatthey constantly forget the basic facts oflife. This book summons man to remem-ber facts that his soul prompts him to for-get.

Allah createsevery word one utters, andevery event one experiences, from the mo-ment one is born into tis world. For a be-liever who understands this fact,uninterrupted joy of faith becomes an un-changing quality of life. The fate decreedby Allah is flawless.

The great majority of peo-ple on earth have faith inAllah, yet only a minorityfear Allah as they should.Yet the main feature mak-ing a person a real be-liever is his sincere andrespectful fear for Allah.

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This book introduces the realconcept of conscience that isrelated in the Qur'an anddraws our attention to the kindof understanding, thought,and wisdom that a truly con-scientious person has.

GERMAN

GERMAN

The most serious mistake a man makes is not ponder-ing. It is not possible to find the truth unless one thinksabout basic questions such as "How and why am Ihere?", "Who created me?", or "Where am I going?."Failing to do so, one becomes trapped in the vicious cir-cle of daily life and turns into a selfish creature caringonly for himself. Ever Thought About the Truth? sum-mons people to think on such basic questions and todiscover the real meaning of life. Ever Thought Aboutthe Truth? is also available in French.

FRENCH

GERMAN

This book is a summons to those who want goodness to pre-vail: it calls on them to do goodness and to form an alliancewith other good people like themselves.

One of the principal deceptions that impels people into delin-quency and makes them pursue their own desires is theirheedlessness of death. Both human beings and the universethey live in are mortal. What awaits the disbelievers in the nextworld is more dreadful: the eternal wrath of hell. This book,based on the verses of the Qur'an, makes a detailed depictionof the moment of death, the day of judgement, and the penal-ties in hell, and it sounds a warning about the great danger fac-ing us. Death Resurrection Hell is also available in Polish.

POLISH

There are questions about religion that people seek an-swers to and hope to be enlightened in the best way. Inthese booklets, you will find the most accurate answersto all the questions you seek answers for and learn yourresponsibilities towards your Creator.

The Qur'an has been revealed to us so that we may readand ponder. Basic Concepts in the Qur'an is a useful re-source prepared as a guide to thinking. Some basicIslamic concepts like the soul, conscience, wisdom, loy-alty, submission to Allah, brotherhood, modesty, prayer,patience, ascribing partners to Allah are discussed in thelight of Qur'anic verses. This book is also available inPortuguese.

PORTUGUESE

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The purpose of this book is to warn people against the day on which they will say "If only we did not rebel against Allah. If only welistened to the messengers…" and therefore feel deep regret. This is a summons to live for the cause of Allah when there is stilltime. This book is also available in French and German.

FRENCHGERMAN AZERI

The purpose of this book is to revealthe kind of difficult lives led by peoplewho are divorced from the morality ofreligion, to fully illustrate the situationsuch people find themselves in, and tosave them from a loss of blessings inthis world and the painful end thatawaits them in the next. Recalling thatthe life of this world is full of blessingsand beauties, but that these can onlybe enjoyed with true faith, it calls people to Allah's path, to sur-render to the Qur'an, and to live in faith.

This book is about sincerity, an im-portant characteristic of believerswhich makes deeds worthy andmeaningful in Allah's sight. Sincerity(ikhlas) is doing everything simplybecause Allah ordered it, withoutexpecting any personal benefit inreturn. In the Qur'an, Allah gives thegood tidings of paradise to His sin-cere servants.

Islam is the religion Allah chose forman as most fitted to his nature. Allahmade His religion very easy so thatpeople can live by it. Our BelovedProphet always advised the Muslimsnear him to make the religion "easy". Inthis book, the author describes that liv-ing by Allah's religion is very simple,and that the religion of Islam offers themost suitable lifestyle for man's nature,peace and happiness.

Replacing the violence and injus-tice pervading the world with good-ness, beauty and justice is possiblethrough taking "courageous" stepson Allah's way of righteousness.The true concept of courage basedon the Qur'an is to persevere inkeeping to the limits set by Allah inthe Qur'an. This book has beenprepared to explain believers'

courage based on a sincere will to attain Allah's good plea-sure.

If a person is recently introduced toIslam, many questions may cross hismind since he has just quit the societyof ignorance and has not yet learnedthe faculty to think according to theQur'an. Answers from the Qur'an aimsto reply these questions substantiallyaccording to the principles of theQur'an.

In this book, two very different ap-proaches and manners of commu-nication are examined; theannouncement of the message anddispute. How the announcement ofthe message should be accordingto the Qur'an is explained at lengthand the malignant character of dis-pute is also described.

Finding true happiness, which issomething all people seek, is actuallyvery simple. Yet some people ignorethe path that will lead them to true hap-piness. The source of true happinessis having faith in Allah and living by themorality of the Qur'an. This book ex-plains what true happiness is, andwhere and under what circumstancesit is possible to be truly happy.

The reason why so many peoplesuffer and are sad in the midst of somany blessings is that they live farremoved from Allah. Allah only giveshappiness to people with faith, andonly makes it possible for them totake pleasure from the beauties oflife in this way. This book revealsthat the only salvation from unhappi-ness and suffering is to believe in

Allah with a sincere heart.

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All through history, people whohad no faith in Allah and the Dayof Judgement, tended to mock re-ligion and its followers. This bookexplains how these people arecaught by a plot while they wastetime ridiculing believers.

In this book, wisdom and people hav-ing wisdom are described as is theloss of those who do not think and be-have wisely. The way to wisdom isopen to everyone; but it must also bekept in mind that Allah endows wis-dom only to those who sincerely be-lieve in Him.

The concept of patience related inthe Qur'an differs greatly from pa-tience as perceived by people ofignorance. The purpose of thisbook is to define this superiormoral attribute with referencesfrom the Qur'an.

Being a true servant of Allah and con-ducting one's life in the light of theQur'an require a sound knowledge ofthe Qur'an. This book is prepared forthose who aim to attain the good plea-sure, mercy, and Paradise of Allah.

A person having fear of Allah nat-urally shows mercy for His ser-vants and treats them kindly. Yet itis essential to distinguish betweenthe concept of mercy, as con-ceived by people of ignorance,and the mercy described in theQur'an. This book was written forthat purpose.

This book is about the enthusiasm ofbelievers that keeps growing until theend of their lives. The main aim of thebook is to increase the enthusiasm ofbelievers showing them what a greatblessing enthusiasm is, and how it en-hances the power of believers.

A believer has to know the Qur'anvery well in order to be guided tothe right way, to fulfil the com-mands of Allah completely, to re-vere Him properly and to evaluateall issues from the Qur'an's view-point. This book, in which theQur'anic verses are classified ac-cording to specific subjects, isprepared for this purpose.

The purpose of this book is to intro-duce Allah, the One closer to man thanhis jugular vein, the way He is relatedin the Qur'an. The intention here is toremove the blurred, uncertain andvague information people have in theirminds and replace it with the true faithrecounted in the Qur'an.

If a person is recently introducedto Islam, many questions maycross his mind since he has justquit the society of ignorance andhas not yet learned the faculty tothink according to the Qur'an.Answers from the Qur'an aims toreply these questions substan-tially according to the principles ofthe Qur'an.

Replacing the violence and injusticepervading the world with goodness,beauty and justice is possible throughtaking "courageous" steps on Allah'sway of righteousness. The true con-cept of courage based on the Qur'an isto persevere in keeping to the limitsset by Allah in the Qur'an. This bookhas been prepared to explain believ-ers' courage based on a sincere will toattain Allah's good pleasure.

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In the Qur'an, Allah describes thegood word to us in the verse Whois better in speech than someonewho summons to Allah and actsrightly and says, 'I am of one of theMuslims'? (Surah Fussilat: 33)This book describes the impor-tance of following the good wordand the losses that will be sufferedby those who fail to do this in thisworld and in the hereafter.

The adjective "mature" (kamil)carries the meanings inclusive,entire and perfect. The "maturefaith" discussed in this book rep-resents the highest level of matu-rity and depth of faith a personcan ever attain.

Most people conceive of Paradiseas a surreal and abstract notion.The most important reason for thismisconception is an insufficientknowledge of the Qur'an and alack of understanding. This bookprovides a realistic description ofParadise as related in the Qur'anand summons man to think aboutthis eternal abode.

Although Allah holds no judge-ment to be higher than any other,people of ignorance disregardsome of them while paying atten-tion to others. This book was writ-ten for the purpose of warningbelievers against such a possibil-ity and reminding them of thejudgements of the Qur'an that arelikely to be disregarded.

In the Qur'an, it is described that inthe past, the messengers of Allahand certain other righteous peoplewere all subjected to various in-stances of slander. Through thewill of Allah, all these slanderscame to nothing. These blessedpeople have always responded tothe slanders made against themwith exemplary patience and sub-mission.

Those who ignore the moral val-ues of religion and lead a life apartfrom it form the society of igno-rance. This book reveals that thissystem is at an impasse by exam-ining some examples of thelifestyles and characters of the ig-norant society.

For sincere Muslims, prisons arevery good places for the spiritualeducation and training of the self.This book is about the exemplarypatience and submission of theProphet Yusuf and other righteousMuslims in his situation and aboutthe spiritual education they re-ceived in the School of Yusuf.

There is a secret religion prevail-ing in many people, with no writ-ten rules and no name either. Inorder to be free of this false reli-gion by which we are surrounded,we firstly need to identify and de-fine it. And that is the purpose ofthis book.

A believer who decides to live forthe cause of Allah must abandonall the idols of the society of igno-rance Devoted to Allah is a sum-mons to overthrow these idols forgood.

Hypocricy is relevant not only tothe age of the prophets: as theQur'an informs us, hypocrites willcontinue creating "tumult and op-pression" until the Day ofJudgement. This is why we haveto know them very well. This bookwas written for this purpose.

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Some people, even withouthaving any idea about its con-tents, resist reading, learningabout, and listening to theQur'an. The purpose of thisbook is to warn people againstthis biased stance which willlead to grave misfortunes, bothin this world and in the here-after.

This book, based on the verses ofthe Qur'an, makes a detailed depic-tion of the moment of death, the dayof judgement, and the penalties inhell, and it sounds a warning aboutthe great danger facing us.

Man places his hope in Allah inrelation to the degree of hisfaith. He hopes to attain thefavours promised to him to theextent of his trust, closeness,submission and sincerity toAllah. These are actually thepeople who earn the approvalof Allah.

In the Qur'an, it is stated that the dis-believers, who are in Hell, will say totheir leaders "it was a plot (of yours)by day and by night: Behold! You(constantly) ordered us to be un-grateful to Allah and to attributeequals to Him!" The evolution theoryis one of these "plots." This bookclearly reveals this.

An important part of the strug-gle one will carry on againstone's soul for a lifetime involveseliminating all the principles ofthe society of ignorance. Thisbook examines these principlesand the ways to avoid them indetails.

People use various defense mecha-nisms to disregard facts about life.The most effective of these defensemechanisms is one's "deceivingoneself". However deceiving oneselfis not a solution for the salvation ofman; on the contrary, it drives maninto a blind alley that leads to Hell.

This book discusses at lengththe methods of plots, attacksand slanders employed by dis-believers in their efforts to dis-courage messengers and theirfollowers from their struggle onbehalf of the cause of Allah. Auseful resource for everyonewho wants to learn the path fol-lowed by the messengers.

Prayer is one of the most explicit andvirtuous expression of one's devo-tion to Allah. However, it is essentialthat a believer should pray as de-scribed in the Qur'an. This book ex-plains the kind of prayer that Allahdemands of people.

Are you aware of the beautiesthat are presented by theQur'an for human life? Haveyou ever thought about the ben-efits a person and society havewhen they follow the command-ments of the Qur'an? With thisbook, you will also recognisethe beauties presented by theQur'an for life.

This book aims to define heedless-ness as described in the Qur'an andwarn people against this lurkingthreat. Another purpose of the bookis to make those who are unknow-ingly swept away by heedlessness,realize their situation.

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Hypocrites are a group that Allahcalls our attention to in hundreds ofverses. In this book, the character-istics of hypocrites are examinedone by one with references fromthe Qur'an. The distinction be-tween hypocrites and disbelieversis also discussed.

Most people know somehow thatidolatry is a great wrong yet theycompletely dissociate themselvesfrom it. This book defines idolatry inthe true sense of the word as ex-plained in the Qur'an.

During the time one spends in thisworld, man is tried and tested by hisCreator. Being aware of the fact thateverything befalling man is merely atrial from his Creator, taking plea-sure from them, and responding tothem joyfully and eagerly lie at theheart of the mystery of this test andthis is recognised only by believers.

Whoever you are, you have an ex-tremely dangerous enemy whowants you to be doomed to eternaldamnation: His name is Satan. Youmust know him and his methods inorder to guard yourself against him.And this book was written for thatpurpose.

This book warns people againstlying, which they may regard assomething minor, innocent andharmless, but which actually repre-sents a grave danger to them. It hasbeen written to remind them thatlying is a sin. As well as dealing withsuch matters as why people lie andthe benefits of honesty, it also de-scribes, in the light of Qur'anicverses, liars' states of mind and the

tactics they resort to in order to prevent their falsehoodscoming to light.

This index has been put together inan effort to bring verses on thesame subject together so as tomake research easier. It is hoped that this study also helpsthose who aim to attain the goodpleasure, mercy and Paradise ofAllah by learning the Qur'an and liv-ing by it.

NEW RELEASES

In this book, everyone is encouraged to speak in a manner that is pleas-ing to Allah as emphasised in the Qur'an. All people are called to speakin a manner compatible with Qur'anic values by revealing the sharp dif-ferences between the perfection of the speech of Muslims and the styleemployed by people who live in a state of mind far removed from religion.

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HARUN YAHYA POCKET BOOK SERIES

The reason why "The Black Clan" has been chosen as the title of thisbook is that it describes the social structure which organises the moralcorruption in the modern world and its network of extensions in all coun-tries. In this book you will read about the structure of the clan and themethods it resorts to in order to ensure its survival. It must not be forgot-ten that the ideological struggle to be waged against the black clan is theresponsibility of all people of good conscience and common sense.

This book examines the activities people engage in and the events theyexperience every day, from the point of view of Muslims who live byQur'anic values. The aim is to reveal the pleasing lives of believersthanks to the morality of the Qur'an, and to call everyone to that morality,which offers a superior life.

This book touches on the mistaken nature of the female character in ig-norant societies and emphasises how this character should be acceptedin society. It futhermore discusses the moral values of Maryam (as), thatAllah revealed to have been made superior to all the women of the world,and thus demonstrates the superior conception of moral virtue the “exem-plary Muslim woman” needs to possess and the “character of the idealMuslim woman.”

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The Pocket Book Series consists of books compiled from Harun Yahya's earlierworks on given topics. The purpose is to make the Harun Yahya series accessibleto everyone. The Pocket Book Series has been prepared with the economic situa-tion of those of Harun Yahya's readers who cannot afford other books by the authorin mind, and the prices of the books have been adjusted accordingly. You can findthe source texts of the books used in these works in all bookstores that carry HarunYahya's books or through his website at www.harunyahya.com.

AUDIO CASETTE SERIES

THE FACT OF CREATION

The titles in this series include TheTheory of Evolution The Fact of Creation,The Creation of the Universe/TheBalances in the Earth, The Miracle in theCell/The Miracle of Birth, The Miracle inthe Eye/The Miracle in the Ear, TheDesign in Animals/The Design in Plants,The Miracle in the Honeybee/TheMiracle in the Ant, The Miracle in theMosquito/ The Miracle in the Spider, Self-Sacrifice in Living Things /Migration andOrientation, The Miracle of Creation inDNA, Miracles of the Qur'an.

EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THETRUTH? I

The titles in this series include EverThought About the Truth?, Devotedto Allah, The Mature Faith, TheReligion of the Ignorant, The CrudeUnderstanding of Disbelief, TheImportance of Conscience in theQur'an, Never Forget, Before YouRegret, Death Hereafter Hell,Paradise.

EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THETRUTH? II

The titles in this series include TheFear of Allah, The Nightmare ofDisbelief, The Struggle of theReligion of Irreligion, BeautiesPresented by the Qur'an for L‹fe,The Arrogance of Satan, The Mercyof Believers, The Iniquity CalledMockery, Perished Nations, TheSecret Beyond Matter,Timelessness and The Reality ofFate.

The audio cassettesPerished Nations and TheDark Face of Darwin wereinspired by the works ofHarun Yahya

The Collapse of EvolutionThe Fact of Creation audiocassette is also availablein Russian.

The works of Harun Yahya are also produced in the form of documentary films and audio cassettes. In addi-tion to English, some of these products are also available in English, Arabic, German, and Russian.

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VIDEO FILMS

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YOU CAN FIND ALL THE WORKS OF HARUN YAHYA ON THE INTERNET

• Scientific refutation of Darwinism, the greatest deception of our age.• Dozens of books including hundreds of pages of information about the signs ofAllah's creation.• Extremely valuable works that will guide you to think on the real aspects of life byreading the morals of the Qur'an.• Harun Yahya's political, scientific and faith-related articles that have appeared invarious magazines and newspapers around the world. • Audio recordings and documentary videos inspired by the works of Harun Yahya. • And many more attractive presentations...

HARUN YAHYA ON THE INTERNET

www.harunyahya.comwww.hyahya.org

e-mail: [email protected]

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www.unionoffaiths.come-mail: [email protected]

www.perishednations.come-mail: [email protected]

[email protected]

www.jesuswillreturn.com e-mail: [email protected]

www.islamdenouncesterrorism.come-mail: [email protected]

www.islamdenouncesantisemitism.come-mail: [email protected]

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[email protected]

www.creationofuniverse.come-mail: [email protected]

www.evolutiondocumentary.com e-mail: [email protected]

www.freebookcenter.nete-mail: [email protected]

www.secretbeyondmatter.com e-mail: [email protected]

www.darwinismrefuted.come-mail: [email protected]

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www.truthsforkids.come-mail: [email protected]

www.for-children.come-mail: [email protected]

www.insight-magazine.come-mail: [email protected]

www.bookglobal.nete-mail: [email protected]

www.darwinism-watch.comemail:[email protected]

Documents

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